The Smartest Guys in the Room
The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
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The Smartest Guys in the Room
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Narrated by:
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Dennis Boutsikaris
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
What went wrong with American business at the end of the 20th century?
Until the spring of 2001, Enron epitomised the triumph of the New Economy. Feared by rivals, worshipped by investors, Enron seemingly could do no wrong. Its profits rose every year; its stock price surged ever upward; its leaders were hailed as visionaries.
Then a young Fortune writer, Bethany McLean, wrote an article posing a simple question - how, exactly, does Enron make its money?
Within a year Enron was facing humiliation and bankruptcy, the largest in US history, which caused Americans to lose faith in a system that rewarded top insiders with millions of dollars, while small investors lost everything. It was revealed that Enron was a company whose business was an illusion, an illusion that Wall Street was willing to accept even though they knew what the real truth was. This book tells the extraordinary story of Enron's fall.
©2020 Bethany McLean, Peter Elkind (P)2020 Penguin AudioWhat listeners say about The Smartest Guys in the Room
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matthew Thomas McGirr
- 14-05-2024
Absolutely brilliant
It does not get better than this book for an account of a collapse of a giant. A must read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 25-08-2022
Fascinating.
I challenge you to find a more meticulously researched, eloquently told & deeply fascinating cautionary tale of real life business hubris then this one which I was absolutely riveted by as it is simply brilliant and comes highly recommended to anyone who is even remotely interested in this morbid historical topic of the recent past that deserves to stand as a rule book of what not to do for anyone who has anything to do with any type of business. Incredible. 👍🏼👍🏼 #fivestars
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Thomas K.K. Morison
- 14-05-2021
this when paired with the documentary is great!
loved it, one of those books you don't want to stop listening to. would recommend it to you
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Simon Hart
- 26-05-2022
The most amazing tale of a corporate meldown
I loved the book when it first came out. delightes to have this now as an Audiobook.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 28-12-2023
Absolute must-read/listen
A fascinating story and great re-telling of the rise and fall of Enron. The Audiobook is very well narrated, although a little slow. Could comfortably listen and follow at 1.3x. Would certainly recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Craig
- 18-06-2022
Well compiled & narrated. Missing context at start
It wasn't until around the 7th hour that you first hear of Enron declaring bankruptcy. You have to kind of piece together that this company was headed for implosion.
Though I am familiar at a vague level with Enron playing with power in CA and that it collapsed at some point, I'm not from the USA and was a teenager when it all happened.
Would have appreciated a brief introduction before the book to give context to the whole story. Just a couple of paragraphs about where it started, how big it got and when it fell. Then, the story as presented.
Aside from this, the book is brilliant. Recommended. Found it engaging throughout and really appreciated the narrator's pace and expression. An enjoyable listen. Thank you.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Josh B
- 20-11-2022
Amazing recount of the Enron scandal
A great read and performance. I did feel at points the story did get bogged down by the nitty gritty but it had to be covered. An easy recommendation for anyone interested in why Enron failed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Belvedere Spudge
- 18-01-2024
Excellent summation of a complex scandal
Beautifully narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris, the authors do a great and unavoidable job of communicating the minutae of exactly how the Enron brass obfuscated, lied and cheated their way to a position of extraordinary strength followed by swift and staggering collapse. No law is beyond abuse, the difference between the spirit of law and its execution can be vast, and if those who are charged with enforcing it fail in the role, the resulting anarchy can spiral out of control in no time. Required reading for anyone curious about "the wisdom of the markets".
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