The New Imperialists - Hardcover

Leibovich, Mark

3.69

54 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0735203172 ISBN 13: 9780735203174

Publisher: Prentice Hall Press, 2002

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Drawn from interviews with friends, childhood mentors, family, former bosses, classmates, colleagues, and rivals who have known these powerful individuals at different stages of their lives, a fascinating look at the business titans of the twenty-first century, including Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and John Chambers, documents the formative events and influences in each man's life to explain their meteoric rise to success.

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Review:

If you use a personal computer or automated teller machine, make purchases online, or consume media of any kind, your life is directly impacted by the five digital-age visionaries profiled in The New Imperialists. Reams have already been written, of course, about Microsoft's Bill Gates, AOL-Time Warner's Steve Case, Oracle's Larry Ellison, Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos, and Cisco's John Chambers. But Mark Leibovich, national technology reporter for The Washington Post, digs deeper here to present insightful individual portraits of these "generals of the networked world's ruling empires" that reveal what has really driven them to the leading edge of today's business universe. Based on some 400 interviews with relatives, friends, associates, and adversaries, in addition to one-on-one sessions with its usually more reticent subjects, the book offers a very readable account of key formative events and subsequent reactions that are not typically part of such titans' shared r�sum�s. From the personal experiences that helped shape their generally serene youth--Ellison "had difficulty telling the truth," for example, while Chambers "battled dyslexia and for a time believed he was stupid"--to the public manifestations that now affect millions, Leibovich presents eye-opening accounts recommended for anyone drawn to the human stories behind our day's most ubiquitous corporate names. --Howard Rothman

From the Publisher:

Advance Quotes “In this extraordinary book, Mark Leibovich takes readers behind the curtain and gives us penetrating close-ups of five wizards of the information age. We glimpse these "New Imperialists" and come to understand how their personal traits -- pride that sometimes lapses into hubris, competitiveness that can be childish, idealism, greed, brilliance and decency -- help shape business decisions. Too few business books peek behind the curtain at the human beings who are too often hailed as wizards, or treated as bums. This is a book to read, ponder, and treasure.” Ken Auletta, The New Yorker “Other writers have chronicled the accomplishments of the techno-elite. However, nobody has gotten beyond the fluff, behind the curtain and the under the skin of the men who've done the accomplishing better than Mark Leibovich. The New Imperialists entertains as much as it informs. The reader finally will "get" what all this fuss over Silicon Valley is all about while at the same time being served up healthy doses of skepticism to temper the enthusiasm.”

Adam Lashinsky, contributing writer, Fortune Magazine "For all the celebrity attention these titans have received, it's amazing how little we really knew about them. Not anymore. In this beautifully written book, Mark Leibovich captures the brilliance, desperation and just plain weirdness of the New Economy's most audacious generals. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand one of the most powerful and perplexing periods in economic history." David Ignatius, Executive Editor, International Herald Tribune “ This book is a badly needed, fuller portrait of the un-elected corporate chieftains who bestride the global economy. Well-written and packed with amusing and sometimes disturbing anecdotes, The New Imperialists turns the Great Man view of history and focuses it squarely on otherwise blurry technology potentates.” Dave Kansas, former editor-in-chief of TheStreet.com “Mark Leibovich has accomplished something rare in this compelling book, pulling back the curtain to fully show the reality of this amazing collection of Oz-like technology wizards. His work is at once informative, funny, and frightening.”

David Maraniss, author of When Pride Still Mattered and First In His Class

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