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Power Failure
The Rise and Fall of an American Icon
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Narrated by:
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Eric Jason Martin
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Written by:
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William D. Cohan
About this listen
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
The New Yorker Best Books of 2022 • Financial Times Best Books of 2022 • The Economist Best Books of 2022
The dramatic rise—and unimaginable fall—of America's most iconic corporation by New York Times bestselling author and pre-eminent financial journalist William D. Cohan
No company embodied American ingenuity, innovation, and industrial power more spectacularly and more consistently than the General Electric Company. GE once developed and manufactured many of the inventions we take for granted today, nearly everything from the lightbulb to the jet engine. GE also built a cult of financial and leadership success envied across the globe and became the world’s most valuable and most admired company. But even at the height of its prestige and influence, cracks were forming in its formidable foundation.
In a masterful re-appraisal of a company that once claimed to “bring good things to life,” pre-eminent financial journalist William D. Cohan argues that the incredible story of GE’s rise and fall is not only a paragon, but also a prism through which we can better understand American capitalism. Beginning with its founding, innovations, and exponential growth through acquisitions and mergers, Cohan plumbs the depths of GE's storied management culture, its pioneering doctrine of shareholder value, and its seemingly hidden blind spots, to reveal that GE wasn't immune from the hubris and avoidable mistakes suffered by many other corporations.
In Power Failure, Cohan punctures the myth of GE, exploring in a rich narrative how a once-great company wound up broken and in tatters—a cautionary tale for the ages.
©2022 William D. Cohan (P)2022 Penguin AudioYou may also enjoy...
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Money and Power
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the best-selling, prize-winning author of The Last Tycoons and House of Cards, a revelatory history of Goldman Sachs, the most dominant, feared, and controversial investment bank in the world. William D. Cohan has constructed a vivid narrative that looks behind the veil of secrecy to reveal how Goldman has become so profitable - and so powerful.
Written by: William D. Cohan
What the critics say
"An epic piece of work."—MIKE BARNICLE, MSNBC Morning Joe
"A riveting, magisterial work of business history."—FAST COMPANY
“A sweeping tale of ambition, arrogance, egos, and feuds—and how they brought down a once-great company.”—KIRKUS REVIEWS
What listeners say about Power Failure
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- cathyborutski
- 2024-11-11
Time to rewatch 30 Rock
Great book that covers the rise and fall of one of the most important companies in American history.
It's easily accessible and entertaining for those on the outside of corporate America, and a valuable lesson for those on the inside.
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