Theme

Business & Finance

Markets, money, and the institutions that move both — told mostly through the people who built, broke, or bet against them.

45 books

most recent read first
Den of Thieves by James B. Stewart Den of Thieves James B. Stewart · 1991 · read Sep 2026If you've ever wondered how the 1980s takeover boom made so many people so rich so fast, the answer is stolen information. DisneyWar by James B. Stewart DisneyWar James B. Stewart · 2005 · read Aug 2026Michael Eisner saved Disney, then spent years making sure no one could replace him. America's Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System by Steven Brill America's Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System Steven Brill · 2015 · read Aug 2026The Affordable Care Act changed who gets covered and left what you get charged almost untouched. Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism by Jeff Gramm Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism Jeff Gramm · 2016 · read Aug 2026The fight between the people who own a company and the people who run it is a century old. The History of Money: A Story of Humanity by David McWilliams The History of Money: A Story of Humanity David McWilliams · 2024 · read Aug 2026Money is a relationship as much as it's a tool. The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters by Gregory Zuckerman The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters Gregory Zuckerman · 2013 · read Jul 2026Who turned shale rock into an American energy boom? The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution by Gregory Zuckerman The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution Gregory Zuckerman · 2019 · read Jul 2026Most of what you learn about investing says to understand the business. The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron by Bethany McLean, Peter Elkind The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron Bethany McLean, Peter Elkind · 2003 · read Jul 2026Enron's business was largely an illusion, and a lot of smart people were paid well not to look closely. The Lords of Easy Money: How the Federal Reserve Broke the American Economy by Christopher Leonard The Lords of Easy Money: How the Federal Reserve Broke the American Economy Christopher Leonard · 2022 · read May 2026When the Fed creates money, you'd assume it reaches the economy you live in. Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America by Christopher Leonard Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America Christopher Leonard · 2019 · read Apr 2026The Koch name is best known for its politics. Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction by David Enrich Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction David Enrich · 2020 · read Feb 2026Deutsche Bank is best known as the bank that kept lending to Donald Trump. The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It by Scott Patterson The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It Scott Patterson · 2010 · read Jan 2026When every fund's model points to the same trade, you don't have diversification anymore, you have a crowd. Losing Big: America's Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling by Jonathan D. Cohen Losing Big: America's Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling Jonathan D. Cohen · 2025 · read Oct 2025Legal sports betting is a big, popular business: about one in five American adults bet on sports in 2023, $121 billion in all. Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream by Megan Greenwell Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream Megan Greenwell · 2025 · read Jul 2025Private equity has reached into hospitals, daycare, supermarkets, newspapers, nursing homes and rental housing, and most of the… The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America―and How to Undo His Legacy by David Gelles The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America―and How to Undo His Legacy David Gelles · 2022 · read Jun 2025Jack Welch's General Electric was the template for how American business came to run: mass layoffs, dealmaking, financialization… How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle (Principles) by Ray Dalio How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle (Principles) Ray Dalio · 2025 · read Jun 2025Can the country that issues the world's reserve currency in effect default? No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson Gardiner Harris · 2025 · read Jun 2025Johnson & Johnson traded on a wholesome family image while, according to Harris, hiding evidence that its products harmed people,… Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment by Jason Schreier Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment Jason Schreier · 2024 · read Apr 2025Somewhere between the 2008 Activision merger and the 2021 California lawsuit, Blizzard lost its independence and much of the… The Firm: The Story of McKinsey and Its Secret Influence on American Business by Duff McDonald The Firm: The Story of McKinsey and Its Secret Influence on American Business Duff McDonald · 2013 · read Dec 2024McKinsey spread modern management tools through corporations, government and business schools after its 1926 founding. The Death of Truth: How Social Media and the Internet Gave Snake Oil Salesmen and Demagogues the Weapons They Needed to Destroy Trust and Polarize the World – and What We Can Do About It by Steven Brill The Death of Truth: How Social Media and the Internet Gave Snake Oil Salesmen and Demagogues the Weapons They Needed to Destroy Trust and Polarize the World – and What We Can Do About It Steven Brill · 2024 · read Dec 2024Follow the ad money behind a disinformation site and you can find a mainstream brand that never meant to fund it. Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing by Peter Robison Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing Peter Robison · 2021 · read Dec 2024MCAS was the software that could override 737 MAX pilots. The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House by Nancy Pelosi The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi · 2024 · read Aug 2024From housewife and mother of five to the first woman Speaker of the House, Pelosi arranges her more than three decades in… Trillion Dollar Triage: How Jay Powell and the Fed Battled a President and a Pandemic---and Prevented Economic Disaster by Nick Timiraos Trillion Dollar Triage: How Jay Powell and the Fed Battled a President and a Pandemic---and Prevented Economic Disaster Nick Timiraos · 2022 · read Jun 2024In February 2020 unemployment sat at a 50-year low, and then lockdowns wiped out more than 22 million jobs as markets plunged. Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen Nuclear War: A Scenario Annie Jacobsen · 2024 · read Apr 2024It starts with a North Korean thermonuclear strike on the Pentagon, a submarine-launched missile into California's Diablo Canyon… Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by A.G. Lafley Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works A.G. Lafley · 2013 · read Apr 2024Strategy is choice, and if you're trying to serve everyone, you haven't made one. How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities by John Cassidy How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities John Cassidy · 2009 · read Mar 2024At their best, markets let people trade to mutual benefit, the ideal economists call Pareto efficiency. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement Eliyahu M. Goldratt · 2004 · read Oct 2023Find the slowest step in your operation and you've found what limits everything else. The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness Morgan Housel · 2020 · read Aug 2023Morgan Housel's case is that doing well with money depends more on how you behave than on what you know. Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber Debt: The First 5,000 Years David Graeber · 2011 · read Jul 2023The barter story sounds sensible, and economists have told it since Adam Smith. Little Black Book of Entrepreneurship by Fernando Trías de Bes Little Black Book of Entrepreneurship Fernando Trías de Bes · 2008 · read Jun 2023You learn more from why other founders failed than from studying their successes. The Lost Bank: The Story of Washington Mutual-The Biggest Bank Failure in American History by Kirsten Grind The Lost Bank: The Story of Washington Mutual-The Biggest Bank Failure in American History Kirsten Grind · 2012 · read Mar 2023The largest bank failure in American history, and before it, a well-regarded regional lender that grew into a sprawling mortgage… How Clients Buy: A Practical Guide to Business Development for Consulting and Professional Services by Tom McMakin How Clients Buy: A Practical Guide to Business Development for Consulting and Professional Services Tom McMakin · 2018 · read Jan 2023Selling a service isn't like selling a product, and the book is for experts trained in their craft, not in sales. How to Win Client Business When You Don't Know Where to Start: A Rainmaking Guide for Consulting and Professional Services by Doug Fletcher How to Win Client Business When You Don't Know Where to Start: A Rainmaking Guide for Consulting and Professional Services Doug Fletcher · 2021 · read Jan 2023If you work in consulting or another professional-services firm, sooner or later the job includes bringing in clients, not only… Subscribed: Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company's Future - and What to Do About It by Tien Tzuo Subscribed: Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company's Future - and What to Do About It Tien Tzuo · 2018 · read Jan 2023Companies are moving from selling you products to running an ongoing subscription relationship with you, and every part of the… I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's Maze (Bk Business) by Deepak Malhotra I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's Maze (Bk Business) Deepak Malhotra · 2011 · read Jan 2023Spencer Johnson's cheese parable tells you to adapt when someone moves your cheese. The Snowball System: How to Win More Business and Turn Clients into Raving Fans by Mo Bunnell The Snowball System: How to Win More Business and Turn Clients into Raving Fans Mo Bunnell · 2018 · read Jan 2023Be strategically helpful, build steady habits, and let the results compound like a snowball. Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry by Jacquie McNish Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry Jacquie McNish · 2015 · read Dec 2022An engineer who grew up building radios in Windsor, Ontario, and an aggressive dealmaker from Seaforth. The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek The Infinite Game Simon Sinek · 2017 · read Aug 2022Chess and football end with a winner. The Membership Economy by Robbie Kellman Baxter The Membership Economy Robbie Kellman Baxter · 2015 · read Jun 2022More of what you pay for now buys access rather than ownership. The Art Of Less Doing: One Entrepreneur's Formula for a Beautiful Life by Ari R. Meisel The Art Of Less Doing: One Entrepreneur's Formula for a Beautiful Life Ari R. Meisel · 2016 · read Jan 2022Optimize, automate, outsource. Leveraged Learning: How the Disruption of Education Helps Lifelong Learners, and Experts with Something to Teach by Danny Iny Leveraged Learning: How the Disruption of Education Helps Lifelong Learners, and Experts with Something to Teach Danny Iny · 2018 · read Jan 2021If you front-load your education into a degree, in Danny Iny's argument, it won't keep up with what work asks of you. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors by Michael E. Porter Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors Michael E. Porter · 1980 · read Feb 2020Before you pick a strategy, look at the structure of your industry. Content Inc.: How Entrepreneurs Use Content to Build Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful Businesses by Joe Pulizzi Content Inc.: How Entrepreneurs Use Content to Build Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful Businesses Joe Pulizzi · 2015 · read Feb 2020Build the audience first and the product second. Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller Building A Story Brand Donald Miller · 2017 · read Feb 2020Donald Miller's argument is that businesses lose customers by talking about themselves. Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money—That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money—That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! Robert T. Kiyosaki · 1997 · read Oct 2019John T.

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