David Lauren
Executive vice president, Ralph Lauren

Lytro [3]: “This little camera could change the way the world experiences photography. It helps the amateur shoot like a pro.”

George Harrison Guitar [4]: As part of my attempt to learn the guitar, I downloaded this interactive multimedia app, which was created by Harrison’s son. What better way to learn guitar than from a Beatle?”

Raina Kumra
CEO, Agency for Holistic Branding

The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood: [5]: “James Gleick has a magical way of outlining the anthropology of technology and what it does to us humans.”

Stickk [6]: “Make a social contract with yourself: Set a personal goal, and if you fail, you can donate money to a cause you don’t like. I’m using it to get to bed at an earlier hour.”

Mitch Baranowski
CCO, BBMG

Beautiful Children [7]: “This debut novel, by Charles Bock, finally floated to the top of my reading list. It’s an ambitious, unorthodox book. Tough to read at times, but I admire its Dickensian sweep, and I love that it takes on the mythically depraved landscape of Las Vegas.”

Larry Rudolph
Cofounder, ReDigi

Our Inner Ape [8]: “This book, by Frans de Waal, explains the selfish and altruistic sides of human behavior. We share genes with chimps, but also bonobos. Chimps are very warlike; bonobos are incredibly kind. The fact that humans share genes equally with chimps and bonobos explains so much to me about how people behave, which impacts how I interact with people and products.”

Cathy Merenda
VP of music publishing, Twentieth Century Fox

WeWood Watches [9]: “The WeWood folks have an eco thing going: They plant a tree for every wooden watch you buy.”

Public Bikes [10]: “I have one that is bright orange, eight speeds. I fell in love with it online, and I flew to San Francisco just to take a test drive.”

Rio Caraeff
President, Vevo

Leica cameras [11]: “Smartphones are eating away at the point-and-shoot market, but Leica makes extremely simple, high-quality digital cameras. The difference is in the lens. You see a picture from a Leica and you say, ‘Wow, I forgot what a real picture looks like.’ ”

Rocket Cellini Espresso machine [12]: “It’s what I use every day to get motivated and get going, but at the same time it’s a sculpture.”