What do you think?
Rate this book
Bloomberg by Bloomberg
The remarkable story of how Michael Bloomberg created a media empire
"Lots of entrepreneurs make money. Lots of entrepreneurs who make money write books. Few of those books make you glad they did. This one does."
—The New York Times Book Review
"A classic tale of a nimble, customer-focused, entrepreneurial David outsmarting bureaucratic, ossified, corporate Goliaths."
—Business Week
"Entertaining, engaging, and informative, Bloomberg by Bloomberg is packed with great advice about how to start a lean, hungry company-and how to keep it that way."
—Bryan Burrough, coauthor, Barbarians at the Gate
Brash, aggressive, and supremely self-confident, Michael Bloomberg, the visionary leader of the world's fastest-growing media empire, has been hailed as the new standard for what it takes to win in the Information Age. Dismissed from Salomon Brothers in 1981, Bloomberg immediately took his money and acerbic personality and started Bloomberg L.P. Bolstered by a $30 million investment from Merrill Lynch, the company and the man have been sprinting ahead of the pack ever since. Only twenty years after founding, he's at the top of his industry. And on June 5, 2001, he added mayoral candidate for New York City to his list of accomplishments and aspirations. If elected, powerhouse Michael Bloomberg will bring his own brand of leadership-and personal style-to the city that never sleeps.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Michael R. Bloomberg
32 books72 followersMICHAEL BLOOMBERG is the founder of Bloomberg LP, a Philanthropist, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, and three-term mayor of New York City. His charitable foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, employs a unique data-driven approach, often focused on cities, to its five main focus areas: public health, education, the environment, the arts, and government innovation. A passionate supporter of action on climate change, Bloomberg is involved in multiple climate efforts, including partnering with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, which aims to close half of America’s coal-powered energy production, and supporting state efforts to transition to renewable energy sources. He has served as Chair of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
May 13, 2008
This book gives you some insight into the life and the career of Mike Bloomberg. The first chapters are definitely the best the rest, about 2/3, is advertisement for the Bloomberg Company and also for Mike Bloomberg the person. (Mike loves himself a bit to much). Still it's an interesting read into the financial world and how somebody is brave and smart enough to start a new company, not really against all odds, but close enough.
April 26, 2024
I read the recently updated version with an older, post-mayoral Bloomberg on the cover. In fact, the book was updated "for the 21st. Century" to include Bloomberg's lessons learned from his public service as the Mayor of New York for 12 years right after 9/11.
I am impressed by Bloomberg's analytical and independent thought. He understands the strengths and weaknesses of Corporate America and he knows the limits of government. He wants political policy decisions made at the level of government closest to the people impacted by the policy. He is neither (from my reading) a "Democrat" nor a "Republican." He is a pragmatist that seeks low cost pragmatic solutions to problems facing the population he serves
He's got my vote for President in 2020.
Read this book if you want to learn of the rags to riches story of a decent guy, with both intelligence and street smarts. He is a shining example of a person who works hard, makes his family proud, is fair-minded, community-oriented, and "gives back" through philanthropic gifting and public service.
Bloomberg is regular guy with integrity. He HAS character and he IS a character. I like him.
I am impressed by Bloomberg's analytical and independent thought. He understands the strengths and weaknesses of Corporate America and he knows the limits of government. He wants political policy decisions made at the level of government closest to the people impacted by the policy. He is neither (from my reading) a "Democrat" nor a "Republican." He is a pragmatist that seeks low cost pragmatic solutions to problems facing the population he serves
He's got my vote for President in 2020.
Read this book if you want to learn of the rags to riches story of a decent guy, with both intelligence and street smarts. He is a shining example of a person who works hard, makes his family proud, is fair-minded, community-oriented, and "gives back" through philanthropic gifting and public service.
Bloomberg is regular guy with integrity. He HAS character and he IS a character. I like him.
February 21, 2019
This book is on my desk from 1990s. “No is no answer” is always a helpful reminder, eg to rediscover the right attitude for finding a free ticket to a sold out show at the entrance 5 minutes before they lock the doors at the Royal Albert Hall. coaching of life by someone who lives it. pity, understandable that the more private lessons of faith and family are brief. based on this book only Mike’s grandmother could demand his run for the US President. he will study, measure, count, work and probably not run.
March 14, 2021
Evolution
“Look ahead or fall behind. We’re still looking ahead.”
The technology that we pioneered in the early 1980s has long been ancient history. But we never made the error that so many others have: mistaking their product for the device that delivers it. Executives at Eastman Kodak, for instance, thought they were in the camera and film business, instead of the photography business. The digital photography revolution passed them by, and after more than a century as one of the most innovative companies in the world, they filed for bankruptcy in 2012. At Bloomberg, we got out of the business of building physical computers as soon as PCs began taking off. We knew our core product was data and analytics, not hardware.
The Thrill of Getting Fired:
“So there I was, thirty-nine years old and essentially hearing, “Here’s $10 million; you’re history.” One summer morning, John Gutfreund, managing partner of Wall Street’s hottest firm, and Henry Kaufman, then the world’s most influential economist, told me my life at Salomon Brothers was finished.”
“Was I sad on the drive home? You bet. But, as usual, I was much too macho to show it. And I did have $10 million in cash and convertible bonds as compensation for my hurt feelings. If I had to go, this was the time. I was getting my money out of the firm then instead of ten years later. With Phibro paying a merger premium, I was doubling my net worth. Since somebody else had made the decision, I’d even avoided agonizing over whether to stay at Salomon—a timely question, given my then-declining prospects in the company.”
“Afterward, I didn’t sit around wondering what was happening at the old firm. I didn’t go back and visit. I never look over my shoulder. Once finished: Gone. Life continues!”
“I was never embarrassed to say that I’d been fired and was now running a small start-up business. I’m tougher than many others (or, perhaps as a psychological defense mechanism, I convinced myself not to care what others thought). But I was worried that Sue might be ashamed of my new, less visible status and concerned I couldn’t support the family. A sable jacket seemed to say, “No sweat. We can still eat. We’re still player.”
The Joy of Learning
“Discussing the meaning of the story versus memorizing the plot made the difference—fascinating versus boring. Both classes broadened my perspective: The exposure to history and culture opened my eyes to a whole new world. What a shame all the preceding time was partially wasted. It was an early lesson for me in how we, as a society, must find a way to better engage our children in the joys of learning.”
Lessons of History
“ I developed a sense of history and its legacy, and remain amazed at how little people seem to learn from the past; how we fight the same battles over and over; how we can’t remember what misguided, shortsighted policies led to depression, war, oppression, and division. As citizens, we continually let elected officials pander for votes with old, easy, flawed solutions to complex problems. As voters, we repeatedly forget the lessons of others who didn’t hold their chosen officials accountable. God help us if George Santayana was right and we’re doomed to repeat it all again.”
SHOWING UP
I’ve never understood why everybody else doesn’t do the same thing—make himself indispensable on the job. That was exactly what I did during the summer between my first and second years in graduate school, when I worked for a small Harvard Square real estate company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Students would come to town just to find an apartment they could move into in September; they were always in a rush, eager to get back to their vacations as soon as possible. We ran generic advertisements in the newspapers for three or four different sizes of rentals; each ad would fit twenty of our apartment listings. Every day, the newly arrived would-be renters got up early, grabbed the newspaper at their hotels, looked at the real estate section, made a phone call, scheduled an appointment with “the next available agent” to see housing that sounded appropriate, and went back to bed. Later in the day, they’d go out and actually look.
I went to work at six-thirty in the morning. By seven-thirty or eight o’clock, all potential renters visiting Cambridge had called our company and booked their apartment-viewing visits with whoever was there. I, of course, was the only one who bothered to come in early to answer the phone: The Adult “professionals” who worked for this company (I was “the summer kid”) started work at nine-thirty. Then, all day long, they sat in wonderment as person after person walked into the office asking for Mr. Bloomberg.
It’s said that 80 percent of life is just showing up. I believe that. You can never have complete mastery over your existence. You can’t choose the advantages you start out with, and you certainly can’t pick your genetic intelligence level. But you can control how hard you work.
It’s said that 80 percent of life is just showing up. I believe that. You can never have complete mastery over your existence. You can’t choose the advantages you start out with, and you certainly can’t pick your genetic intelligence level. But you can control how hard you work. I’m sure someone, someplace, is smart enough to succeed while “keeping it in perspective” and not working too hard, but I’ve never met him or her. The more you work, the better you do. It’s that simple. I always outworked the other person (and if I hadn’t, he or she would be writing this book).
DOING – INCREMENTAL PROGRESS
Life, I’ve found, works the following way: Daily, you’re presented with many small and surprising opportunities. Sometimes you seize one that takes you to the top. Most, though, if valuable at all, take you only a little way. To succeed, you must string together many small incremental advances—rather than count on hitting the lottery jackpot once. Trusting to great luck is a strategy not likely to work for most people. As a practical matter, constantly enhance your skills, put in as many hours as possible, and make tactical plans for the next few steps. Then, based on what actually occurs, look one more move ahead and adjust the plan. Take lots of chances, and make lots of individual, spur-of-the-moment decisions.
THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES
Don’t devise a Five-Year Plan or a Great Leap Forward. Central planning didn’t work for Stalin or Mao, and it won’t work for an entrepreneur either. Slavishly follow a specific step-by-step strategy, the process gurus tell you. It’ll always work, they say. Not in my world. Predicting the future’s impossible. You work hard because it increases the odds. But there’s no guarantee; much is dependent on what cards happen to get dealt. I have always believed in playing as many hands as possible, as intelligently as I can, and taking the best of what comes my way. Every significant advance I or my company has ever made has been evolutionary rather than revolutionary: small earned steps—not big lucky hits.
Planning has its place; the actual thought process sometimes leads to great new ideas. But you can only accomplish what’s possible when you get there.
LOVE WHAT YOU DO
Then, whatever your idea is, you’ve got to do more of it than anyone else—a task that’s easier if you structure things so that you like doing them. Since doing more almost always leads to greater accomplishments, in turn you’ll have more fun. And then you’ll want to do even more because of the rewards. And so on. I’ve always loved my work and put in a lot of time, which has helped make me successful.
I truly pity people who don’t like their jobs. They struggle at work, so unhappily, for ultimately so much less success, and thus develop even more reason to hate their occupations. There’s too much delightful stuff to do in this short lifetime not to love getting up on a weekday morning.
Happinness
Think about the percentage of your life spent working and commuting. If you’re not content doing it, you’re probably pretty miserable with the situation. Change it! Work it out with those next to you on the production line. Talk to your boss. Sit down with those you supervise. Alter what’s in your own head.
Do something to make it fun, interesting, challenging, exciting. You’ve got to be happy at your job. Sure, being able to feed the kids is the first focus. But when layoffs and promotions are announced, those with surly looks on their faces, those who always try to do less, those who never cooperate with others get included in the layoffs and miss the promotions. This big part of your life affects you, your family, society, and everything else you touch.
Long Term Thinking
Some young people starting their careers today are too impatient for current compensation, at the expense of continuing their education and giving their jobs a chance. Get back to work. Forget the money today. There’s plenty of time for that later. Novices should go to the best firm they can get into—and then listen and learn.
Frugality
Money wasn’t the issue. I’d long since paid off my loans and was living a respectable if not extravagant life. I took the subway to work, I went to free concerts in Central Park, and my most romantic dates were beer and pizza with a girlfriend late at night on the Staten Island Ferry (five cents round-trip, food and drink extra). I lived in the same one-room studio for ten years and didn’t bother to own a car. I never spent a lot, but I also don’t remember wanting anything I didn’t just go out and buy. Good times, great friends, fantastic job, lots of cash: I had it all.
Be Kind
Someone once said, “Be nice to people on the way up; you’ll pass the same ones on the way down.” I believe in treating associates well, but not for that cynical reason: Having been both up and down repeatedly, my experience says you pass different people as you go through the inevitable cycle.
Starting over at 39
I had spent my first twenty-four years getting ready for Wall Street. I had survived fifteen more years before Salomon Brothers threw me out. At age thirty-nine, the third phase of my life was about to start. With whatever values my parents had taught me, $10 million in my pocket, and confidence based on little more than bruised ego, I started over.
Just Do It
If you’re going to succeed, you need a vision, one that’s affordable, practical, and fills a customer need. Then, go for it. Don’t worry too much about the details. Don’t second-guess your creativity. Avoid overanalyzing the new project’s potential. Most importantly, don’t strategize about the long term too much.
The difference between stubbornness and having the courage of conviction sometimes is only in the results.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
“My rule is: See it work exactly the way you’ll use it (same volume, environment, time of day, and so on) or don’t buy it! Demand goods, not promises. And that’s exactly what we offer our customers. When we develop new products, we build and deliver a practical working model of what the client can actually use, and then through an iterative development process, we add features and functions that make the product outstanding. In management-speak, this is called MVP: minimal viable product. But for customers, it just means: “Buy what’s deliverable, not what could be.”
No Class Distinction
“We have no reserved parking spaces for senior executives. If you want to leave your car right by the door, just come in earlier. Creating class distinctions isn’t constructive. That’s why I don’t believe in executive dining rooms either. The issue isn’t fairness. If we constantly remind those people at the bottom that they are not at the top, do you really expect them to be “gung ho” about the company? Remember, remove the bottom 50 percent and half of everyone remaining joins that lower group instantly.”
“Without knocking the value of the accounting profession, it is true that “numbers lie—and liars use numbers.”
“numbers lie—and liars use numbers.”
“Without knocking the value of the accounting profession, it is true that “numbers lie—and liars use numbers.” Only with superhuman effort can a company keep accounting from being misused as it gets bigger. I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched people incorrectly make decisions that confuse incremental costs with fully allocated ones, or misuse present value calculations. These concepts can be useful tools, but slavish adherence to them can produce cockeyed results. Had the person who invented the wheel used “net present value,” we would still be walking!”
Philanthropy – noncommunicable diseases
The great tragedy is that the political will has not kept pace with scientific and technological advances. So much could be done if we cared just a touch more.
“In low- and middle-income countries, noncommunicable diseases kill two of every three people, but only 1 percent of global health funding is aimed at stopping them”
That’s why I’ve made public health a major focus of my philanthropy, and specifically, the kinds of noncommunicable diseases—like diabetes and heart disease—that don’t get a lot of attention but kill 40 million people every year. In fact, for the first time in human history, more people around the world are dying from non-communicable diseases than from “communicable ones, like malaria and polio. The way we think about mortality, however, has not kept pace. We tend to accept these deaths as unavoidable, but they’re not.
“Look ahead or fall behind. We’re still looking ahead.”
The technology that we pioneered in the early 1980s has long been ancient history. But we never made the error that so many others have: mistaking their product for the device that delivers it. Executives at Eastman Kodak, for instance, thought they were in the camera and film business, instead of the photography business. The digital photography revolution passed them by, and after more than a century as one of the most innovative companies in the world, they filed for bankruptcy in 2012. At Bloomberg, we got out of the business of building physical computers as soon as PCs began taking off. We knew our core product was data and analytics, not hardware.
The Thrill of Getting Fired:
“So there I was, thirty-nine years old and essentially hearing, “Here’s $10 million; you’re history.” One summer morning, John Gutfreund, managing partner of Wall Street’s hottest firm, and Henry Kaufman, then the world’s most influential economist, told me my life at Salomon Brothers was finished.”
“Was I sad on the drive home? You bet. But, as usual, I was much too macho to show it. And I did have $10 million in cash and convertible bonds as compensation for my hurt feelings. If I had to go, this was the time. I was getting my money out of the firm then instead of ten years later. With Phibro paying a merger premium, I was doubling my net worth. Since somebody else had made the decision, I’d even avoided agonizing over whether to stay at Salomon—a timely question, given my then-declining prospects in the company.”
“Afterward, I didn’t sit around wondering what was happening at the old firm. I didn’t go back and visit. I never look over my shoulder. Once finished: Gone. Life continues!”
“I was never embarrassed to say that I’d been fired and was now running a small start-up business. I’m tougher than many others (or, perhaps as a psychological defense mechanism, I convinced myself not to care what others thought). But I was worried that Sue might be ashamed of my new, less visible status and concerned I couldn’t support the family. A sable jacket seemed to say, “No sweat. We can still eat. We’re still player.”
The Joy of Learning
“Discussing the meaning of the story versus memorizing the plot made the difference—fascinating versus boring. Both classes broadened my perspective: The exposure to history and culture opened my eyes to a whole new world. What a shame all the preceding time was partially wasted. It was an early lesson for me in how we, as a society, must find a way to better engage our children in the joys of learning.”
Lessons of History
“ I developed a sense of history and its legacy, and remain amazed at how little people seem to learn from the past; how we fight the same battles over and over; how we can’t remember what misguided, shortsighted policies led to depression, war, oppression, and division. As citizens, we continually let elected officials pander for votes with old, easy, flawed solutions to complex problems. As voters, we repeatedly forget the lessons of others who didn’t hold their chosen officials accountable. God help us if George Santayana was right and we’re doomed to repeat it all again.”
SHOWING UP
I’ve never understood why everybody else doesn’t do the same thing—make himself indispensable on the job. That was exactly what I did during the summer between my first and second years in graduate school, when I worked for a small Harvard Square real estate company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Students would come to town just to find an apartment they could move into in September; they were always in a rush, eager to get back to their vacations as soon as possible. We ran generic advertisements in the newspapers for three or four different sizes of rentals; each ad would fit twenty of our apartment listings. Every day, the newly arrived would-be renters got up early, grabbed the newspaper at their hotels, looked at the real estate section, made a phone call, scheduled an appointment with “the next available agent” to see housing that sounded appropriate, and went back to bed. Later in the day, they’d go out and actually look.
I went to work at six-thirty in the morning. By seven-thirty or eight o’clock, all potential renters visiting Cambridge had called our company and booked their apartment-viewing visits with whoever was there. I, of course, was the only one who bothered to come in early to answer the phone: The Adult “professionals” who worked for this company (I was “the summer kid”) started work at nine-thirty. Then, all day long, they sat in wonderment as person after person walked into the office asking for Mr. Bloomberg.
It’s said that 80 percent of life is just showing up. I believe that. You can never have complete mastery over your existence. You can’t choose the advantages you start out with, and you certainly can’t pick your genetic intelligence level. But you can control how hard you work.
It’s said that 80 percent of life is just showing up. I believe that. You can never have complete mastery over your existence. You can’t choose the advantages you start out with, and you certainly can’t pick your genetic intelligence level. But you can control how hard you work. I’m sure someone, someplace, is smart enough to succeed while “keeping it in perspective” and not working too hard, but I’ve never met him or her. The more you work, the better you do. It’s that simple. I always outworked the other person (and if I hadn’t, he or she would be writing this book).
DOING – INCREMENTAL PROGRESS
Life, I’ve found, works the following way: Daily, you’re presented with many small and surprising opportunities. Sometimes you seize one that takes you to the top. Most, though, if valuable at all, take you only a little way. To succeed, you must string together many small incremental advances—rather than count on hitting the lottery jackpot once. Trusting to great luck is a strategy not likely to work for most people. As a practical matter, constantly enhance your skills, put in as many hours as possible, and make tactical plans for the next few steps. Then, based on what actually occurs, look one more move ahead and adjust the plan. Take lots of chances, and make lots of individual, spur-of-the-moment decisions.
THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES
Don’t devise a Five-Year Plan or a Great Leap Forward. Central planning didn’t work for Stalin or Mao, and it won’t work for an entrepreneur either. Slavishly follow a specific step-by-step strategy, the process gurus tell you. It’ll always work, they say. Not in my world. Predicting the future’s impossible. You work hard because it increases the odds. But there’s no guarantee; much is dependent on what cards happen to get dealt. I have always believed in playing as many hands as possible, as intelligently as I can, and taking the best of what comes my way. Every significant advance I or my company has ever made has been evolutionary rather than revolutionary: small earned steps—not big lucky hits.
Planning has its place; the actual thought process sometimes leads to great new ideas. But you can only accomplish what’s possible when you get there.
LOVE WHAT YOU DO
Then, whatever your idea is, you’ve got to do more of it than anyone else—a task that’s easier if you structure things so that you like doing them. Since doing more almost always leads to greater accomplishments, in turn you’ll have more fun. And then you’ll want to do even more because of the rewards. And so on. I’ve always loved my work and put in a lot of time, which has helped make me successful.
I truly pity people who don’t like their jobs. They struggle at work, so unhappily, for ultimately so much less success, and thus develop even more reason to hate their occupations. There’s too much delightful stuff to do in this short lifetime not to love getting up on a weekday morning.
Happinness
Think about the percentage of your life spent working and commuting. If you’re not content doing it, you’re probably pretty miserable with the situation. Change it! Work it out with those next to you on the production line. Talk to your boss. Sit down with those you supervise. Alter what’s in your own head.
Do something to make it fun, interesting, challenging, exciting. You’ve got to be happy at your job. Sure, being able to feed the kids is the first focus. But when layoffs and promotions are announced, those with surly looks on their faces, those who always try to do less, those who never cooperate with others get included in the layoffs and miss the promotions. This big part of your life affects you, your family, society, and everything else you touch.
Long Term Thinking
Some young people starting their careers today are too impatient for current compensation, at the expense of continuing their education and giving their jobs a chance. Get back to work. Forget the money today. There’s plenty of time for that later. Novices should go to the best firm they can get into—and then listen and learn.
Frugality
Money wasn’t the issue. I’d long since paid off my loans and was living a respectable if not extravagant life. I took the subway to work, I went to free concerts in Central Park, and my most romantic dates were beer and pizza with a girlfriend late at night on the Staten Island Ferry (five cents round-trip, food and drink extra). I lived in the same one-room studio for ten years and didn’t bother to own a car. I never spent a lot, but I also don’t remember wanting anything I didn’t just go out and buy. Good times, great friends, fantastic job, lots of cash: I had it all.
Be Kind
Someone once said, “Be nice to people on the way up; you’ll pass the same ones on the way down.” I believe in treating associates well, but not for that cynical reason: Having been both up and down repeatedly, my experience says you pass different people as you go through the inevitable cycle.
Starting over at 39
I had spent my first twenty-four years getting ready for Wall Street. I had survived fifteen more years before Salomon Brothers threw me out. At age thirty-nine, the third phase of my life was about to start. With whatever values my parents had taught me, $10 million in my pocket, and confidence based on little more than bruised ego, I started over.
Just Do It
If you’re going to succeed, you need a vision, one that’s affordable, practical, and fills a customer need. Then, go for it. Don’t worry too much about the details. Don’t second-guess your creativity. Avoid overanalyzing the new project’s potential. Most importantly, don’t strategize about the long term too much.
The difference between stubbornness and having the courage of conviction sometimes is only in the results.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
“My rule is: See it work exactly the way you’ll use it (same volume, environment, time of day, and so on) or don’t buy it! Demand goods, not promises. And that’s exactly what we offer our customers. When we develop new products, we build and deliver a practical working model of what the client can actually use, and then through an iterative development process, we add features and functions that make the product outstanding. In management-speak, this is called MVP: minimal viable product. But for customers, it just means: “Buy what’s deliverable, not what could be.”
No Class Distinction
“We have no reserved parking spaces for senior executives. If you want to leave your car right by the door, just come in earlier. Creating class distinctions isn’t constructive. That’s why I don’t believe in executive dining rooms either. The issue isn’t fairness. If we constantly remind those people at the bottom that they are not at the top, do you really expect them to be “gung ho” about the company? Remember, remove the bottom 50 percent and half of everyone remaining joins that lower group instantly.”
“Without knocking the value of the accounting profession, it is true that “numbers lie—and liars use numbers.”
“numbers lie—and liars use numbers.”
“Without knocking the value of the accounting profession, it is true that “numbers lie—and liars use numbers.” Only with superhuman effort can a company keep accounting from being misused as it gets bigger. I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched people incorrectly make decisions that confuse incremental costs with fully allocated ones, or misuse present value calculations. These concepts can be useful tools, but slavish adherence to them can produce cockeyed results. Had the person who invented the wheel used “net present value,” we would still be walking!”
Philanthropy – noncommunicable diseases
The great tragedy is that the political will has not kept pace with scientific and technological advances. So much could be done if we cared just a touch more.
“In low- and middle-income countries, noncommunicable diseases kill two of every three people, but only 1 percent of global health funding is aimed at stopping them”
That’s why I’ve made public health a major focus of my philanthropy, and specifically, the kinds of noncommunicable diseases—like diabetes and heart disease—that don’t get a lot of attention but kill 40 million people every year. In fact, for the first time in human history, more people around the world are dying from non-communicable diseases than from “communicable ones, like malaria and polio. The way we think about mortality, however, has not kept pace. We tend to accept these deaths as unavoidable, but they’re not.
February 7, 2019
Bloombergova story je jedna za najinšpiratívnejších vôbec a navyše moja obľúbená. Problém knihy je, že na to, aby to boli dobré memoáre, memoárov tam je strašne málo. Na to, aby to bola rukoväť mladého ambiciózneho manažýra, je to extrémne povrchné. A na to, aby to bola kvalitná motivačná literatúra, je väčšina čitateľov nekvalifikovaná, lebo pohľad multimiliardára na to, ako robiť startup, keď začínate s ekivivalentom 50 mil dolárov, prípadne ako byť dobrý filantrop, keď ročne zarobíte pol miliardy, je síce zaujímavý, lež prakticky nevyužiteľný.
July 9, 2023
Gotta do your hw 💅
January 23, 2019
Surprisingly good read for a pre-2020 campaign book. It doesn't add too much to the previous version other than an increased focus on philanthropies, a bit on his work as NYC mayor and what the federal executive should be doing, and more musings on climate change, but it does feel slightly more presidential.
A thought I had — what's the essential American Dream story? Overcome adversity, rise above your parents' station, and give back? Mike skipped the first step, he even admits that if he screwed up his life he couldn't blame it on his dad, mom or sister. Instead, the narrative picks up with his $10 million severance and subsequent hard-fought rise to unimaginable wealth, and wraps up with the honestly incredible amount of philanthropic works he's been able to achieve.
Mike is up there with other open-handed billionaires like Bill and Melinda Gates, George Soros and Warren Buffett, or even the Rockefellers of yore. It's difficult not to be impressed.
But even so, the story rings hollow -- not because he hasn't achieved enough, or hasn't given back enough, or hasn't honestly reflected on his privilege and how to best heal society -- but because he never had to overcome initial adversity. He's not black, he's not a woman, he didn't grow up poor. He grew up privileged and did everything he could to utilize that head start and give back to the communities the need it most. But the reality of a 2019 American narrative is that you have to have a stumbling block early in life, or else your story becomes one.
(Reader's note: I didn't re-read the whole book, only the last few chapters which had the most updates.)
A thought I had — what's the essential American Dream story? Overcome adversity, rise above your parents' station, and give back? Mike skipped the first step, he even admits that if he screwed up his life he couldn't blame it on his dad, mom or sister. Instead, the narrative picks up with his $10 million severance and subsequent hard-fought rise to unimaginable wealth, and wraps up with the honestly incredible amount of philanthropic works he's been able to achieve.
Mike is up there with other open-handed billionaires like Bill and Melinda Gates, George Soros and Warren Buffett, or even the Rockefellers of yore. It's difficult not to be impressed.
But even so, the story rings hollow -- not because he hasn't achieved enough, or hasn't given back enough, or hasn't honestly reflected on his privilege and how to best heal society -- but because he never had to overcome initial adversity. He's not black, he's not a woman, he didn't grow up poor. He grew up privileged and did everything he could to utilize that head start and give back to the communities the need it most. But the reality of a 2019 American narrative is that you have to have a stumbling block early in life, or else your story becomes one.
(Reader's note: I didn't re-read the whole book, only the last few chapters which had the most updates.)
July 14, 2020
Who is the author?
Michael R. Bloomberg is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P.. He was the mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.
Why did I select this book?
I found it was recommended read by the author of “breaking out of homeostasis”.
“To succeed, you must string together many small incremental advances - rather than count on hitting the lottery jackpot once. Trusting to great luck is a strategy not likely to work for most people. As a practical matter, constantly enhance your skills, put in as many hours as possible, and make tactical plans for the next few steps. Then based on what actually occurs, look one more move ahead and adjust the plan. Take lots of chances, and make lots of individual, spur-of-the-moment decisions.”
“Street smarts and common sense, it turned out, were better predictors of career achievements after graduation than academic success. Given that I received average grades at the “The B School”, I don’t exactly mind.”
“Home, school, Boy Scouts, sports, politics, newspapers- everything in life taught us duty, loyalty, responsibility, sacrifice, patriotism. A handful marched , got riled up, and wrote about civil disobedience. But generally, Uncle Sam called, and we went.”
“Every significant advance I or my company has ever made has been evolutionary rather than revolutionary: small earned steps - not big lucky hits.”
Michael R. Bloomberg is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P.. He was the mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.
Why did I select this book?
I found it was recommended read by the author of “breaking out of homeostasis”.
“To succeed, you must string together many small incremental advances - rather than count on hitting the lottery jackpot once. Trusting to great luck is a strategy not likely to work for most people. As a practical matter, constantly enhance your skills, put in as many hours as possible, and make tactical plans for the next few steps. Then based on what actually occurs, look one more move ahead and adjust the plan. Take lots of chances, and make lots of individual, spur-of-the-moment decisions.”
“Street smarts and common sense, it turned out, were better predictors of career achievements after graduation than academic success. Given that I received average grades at the “The B School”, I don’t exactly mind.”
“Home, school, Boy Scouts, sports, politics, newspapers- everything in life taught us duty, loyalty, responsibility, sacrifice, patriotism. A handful marched , got riled up, and wrote about civil disobedience. But generally, Uncle Sam called, and we went.”
“Every significant advance I or my company has ever made has been evolutionary rather than revolutionary: small earned steps - not big lucky hits.”
March 3, 2020
Dear god. I wish I could get the time it took me to read this book — a few hours — back.
0 stars. A self-congratulatory propaganda piece on how to rob from the poor and needy and buy yachts. And let's not forget the credible and legitimate sexual-assault cases against Michael Bloomberg.
"Look at me, I'm so interesting I am trying to buy the presidency of the United States. I also do what I want with women because they are my inferiors."
Don't forget that the older versions of this book painted a completely different portrait of this conman than the one who is now running for president.
This will be used as firelog when the climate catastrophe cuts the heat on all us peasants because these billionaire handouts crash the stock market and we are forced to pay for it.
0 stars. A self-congratulatory propaganda piece on how to rob from the poor and needy and buy yachts. And let's not forget the credible and legitimate sexual-assault cases against Michael Bloomberg.
"Look at me, I'm so interesting I am trying to buy the presidency of the United States. I also do what I want with women because they are my inferiors."
Don't forget that the older versions of this book painted a completely different portrait of this conman than the one who is now running for president.
But in his memoir, Bloomberg by Bloomberg, Bloomberg wrote that he “traveled with a big expense account, I had a girlfriend in every city”. The original version of the book published in 1997 also said that a reason his marriage fell apart was because “I like to go out and party”, according to news reports from the time. When the book was reissued ahead of the 2020 presidential election, that line was
altered.
This will be used as firelog when the climate catastrophe cuts the heat on all us peasants because these billionaire handouts crash the stock market and we are forced to pay for it.
February 24, 2016
Michael Bloomberg telling his story of being Bloomberg--billionaire from the working class, brilliant workaholic, egomaniac and narcissistic character, caring leader of family-like team, zealous capitalist nurturing socialism in his company, stubborn and innovative, honest and clear-thinking leader. The book uncover the complex character of Michael Bloomberg, a man who influenced the whole way of doing information business and who managed to deliver IT project on time and within budget. I like very much his stories of Bloomberg raise and especially Management 101 section. Contrary I find Chapters on family and philanthropy quite weak. The former could be summarized as “Not your business!”. The latter concludes “I have no plans to run for public office” (written in 1997), which contradicts the decision taken 3 years later to run for NY Mayor.
Overall this is the great book by the great business leader, if you takes his egoism with a grain of salt.
Overall this is the great book by the great business leader, if you takes his egoism with a grain of salt.
November 28, 2014
This book is autobiographical, and Bloomberg uses many stories as springboards for discussions about general topics. For instance, he tells about how the company enters new markets without local help. This generally means that it takes longer than expected to get government approval for their trading software or press credentials for their news team. This turns into a discussion about how the go-it-alone attitude does mean that Bloomberg LP maintains its independence. Michael Bloomberg believes the independence is worth the extra cost and delay.
I was fascinated by this peek into Bloomberg's past and thought process. And, yes, I was amused that the last chapter includes statements that he had no interest in political life, and the book's forward describes his inauguration party as mayor of New York.
I was fascinated by this peek into Bloomberg's past and thought process. And, yes, I was amused that the last chapter includes statements that he had no interest in political life, and the book's forward describes his inauguration party as mayor of New York.
December 13, 2016
The autobiography of the famous media mogul, Michael Bloomberg, had a promising start, but eventually fizzled out in the latter half of the book. The first half mainly dealt with his life at Solomon brothers and the period when he was building his media empire. There were interesting insights on ways to address challenges while building his business. The second half covered his life philosophy and views on different issues, which I found to be quite uninteresting. However, it’s well worth a read, at least if you’re willing to glean through the book for interesting nuggets of information.
July 15, 2020
This is actually two books in one: one of them good, the other completely ignorable. Basically, the story of how Bloomberg built Bloomberg is worth reading. The story of why you should vote Bloomberg for President is a waste of time. You can tell where he's grafted on his achievements in the revised edition — watch out for those, and then just skim ahead.
February 15, 2018
Standard issue for new hires at Bloomberg, I picked at this book from time to time. The historical parts of the book were interesting but I found a lot of repetition in the book that made it longer than it needed to be.
September 1, 2018
A good look at Michael Bloomberg's pre-Mayor days. His ego certainly wasn't hurting when he wrote it but it is full of good advice and there are worse people to read a "This is how I did it" story of. Recommended.
July 15, 2017
I loved it.. I feel like this should be required reading for business majors in college and every entrepreneur.
August 7, 2018
Plenty of good insight but a bit repetitive.
May 14, 2020
Bloomberg by Bloomberg
is an autobiography by Michael Bloomberg published in 2019. It covers his entire life, but quickly glosses over his childhood and focuses mostly on his career in business as an adult.
I am giving Bloomberg by Bloomberg 4 of 5 stars because it is an enlightening and positive story, but frankly a bit boring and even condescending in places. The book is full of advice for people who seek to be successful in business, but because I have more of a creative bent, my interests have led me down a different path. Sorry Michael, but not everyone can be happy working twelve-hour days six days a week.
The story behind Bloomberg News is the one thing I enjoyed learning the most from this book. Now that I know about it, I have started noticing when non-Bloomberg sites feature their stories. Having learned about the history, evolution, and goals of his service, I can appreciate and trust those stories more than I would otherwise.
Indeed, some of the things he writes about the media really hit home for me. For example, on page 110 he states that "As the media landscape has fragmented, so has society" and laments how it has become more difficult "to find and trust real news ... with facts backed by data and reporting free of partisan or ideological bias." Having read that, I now take notice of articles sourced from Bloomberg.com, and so far am inclined to believe he is telling the truth.
Michael goes on to assert that because this impartiality and objectivity is becoming more of the exception than the rule, "the more valuable it will become, and the better Bloomberg will do" [p. 110]. His analytical mind really shows when he goes on to describe the big picture — as he sees it — behind all this.
As an unaffiliated voter who is struggling to maintain an objective, non-partisan outlook in today's divisive political climate, I really appreciate Michael's insight into this problem, which is as real as it is disconcerting.
Although I found other parts of the book to be a bit tedious, I am sure there are many readers who are more business-minded and would thus be interested in learning details about the story behind Michael's success. Certainly anyone with an MBA — or an interest in attaining one — would find much more value than I did in the many tips he offers for aspiring leaders.
The main reason I read this book was so I could analyze and draw an image of Michael's personality. I invite anyone interested in seeing the resultant image to find me, "tomwhartung," on one of the main social networking sites, or check out my main website at seeourminds.com.
Thanks for checking out my review!
I am giving Bloomberg by Bloomberg 4 of 5 stars because it is an enlightening and positive story, but frankly a bit boring and even condescending in places. The book is full of advice for people who seek to be successful in business, but because I have more of a creative bent, my interests have led me down a different path. Sorry Michael, but not everyone can be happy working twelve-hour days six days a week.
The story behind Bloomberg News is the one thing I enjoyed learning the most from this book. Now that I know about it, I have started noticing when non-Bloomberg sites feature their stories. Having learned about the history, evolution, and goals of his service, I can appreciate and trust those stories more than I would otherwise.
Indeed, some of the things he writes about the media really hit home for me. For example, on page 110 he states that "As the media landscape has fragmented, so has society" and laments how it has become more difficult "to find and trust real news ... with facts backed by data and reporting free of partisan or ideological bias." Having read that, I now take notice of articles sourced from Bloomberg.com, and so far am inclined to believe he is telling the truth.
Michael goes on to assert that because this impartiality and objectivity is becoming more of the exception than the rule, "the more valuable it will become, and the better Bloomberg will do" [p. 110]. His analytical mind really shows when he goes on to describe the big picture — as he sees it — behind all this.
This breakdown in an accepted basis of fact has coincided with the rise in partisan media and the segregation, by political beliefs, of the American public. Pundits talk past one another, and people gravitate to news outlets that will confirm their preexisting beliefs — and the more bombastic the pundits, the more popular they are, and the more money their employers make. For nearly all of history, from Socrates to Cronkite, news was written, organized, and desseminated by the educated and wealthy. People didn't always like the news, but they mostly believed what they were hearing and reading. They trusted news organizations to deliver facts and truths. That world is gone.
— From Bloomberg by Bloomberg, by Michael Bloomberg, p. 110.
As an unaffiliated voter who is struggling to maintain an objective, non-partisan outlook in today's divisive political climate, I really appreciate Michael's insight into this problem, which is as real as it is disconcerting.
Although I found other parts of the book to be a bit tedious, I am sure there are many readers who are more business-minded and would thus be interested in learning details about the story behind Michael's success. Certainly anyone with an MBA — or an interest in attaining one — would find much more value than I did in the many tips he offers for aspiring leaders.
The main reason I read this book was so I could analyze and draw an image of Michael's personality. I invite anyone interested in seeing the resultant image to find me, "tomwhartung," on one of the main social networking sites, or check out my main website at seeourminds.com.
Thanks for checking out my review!
Read
May 9, 2023ch 1 - fired from Salomon 10 million (student council, boy scout, john hopkins, harvard)
ch 2 - all the jobs he worked at Salomon
ch 3 - creates bloomberg
ch 4 - bloomberg news
ch 5 - bloomberg news foreign so cover other countries financials
ch 6 - Bloomberg TV
ch 7 - Salomons intial computer made by verizon first they made a second computer made by Bloomberg and a team. one new computer that every one uses multiple computers for the whole company.
ch 8 - Business Practices
ch 9 - Bloomberg Philanthropies and ethics practices
ch 10- Death Experiences
ch 11 - Bloomberg Mayor
And with just a little of his previous employees or coworkers. bloomberg terminals are for investment firms, regulators, security issuers, corporations, commercial and central banks, pension funds, universities and other organizations and individuals.
his jobs (bond and stock certificates 1, trading clerk 2, equity 3, general partner 4 computers area still general partner 5.)
1. first job was at Salomon's investment company this was for bonds and stock certificates paper slips with money in a bank vault to be traded to banks for overnight loans.
his friends were research analysts and investment bankers
2. then he got a chance to be a clerk on the trading floor of the utilities desk there was a much better position and high paying as well here was electric and gas bond were bought and sold. to keep a position book updated with the current inventory a partner there was 2 and they had to sign every transaction ticket he stamped them and updated records i'm assuming this is the utility bond business
3. next job in comp was equities desk no more bonds now he's in stocks
so there are specialists these who are people who trade all day long on the nyse
he was very good
they'd threaten to buy salamon's on stock for Salomon buy now or risk buying never make buyers buy
this was one large transaction going over the counter instead f many shares through small individual transactions over time this is called block trading this was a new big thing
pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, insurance annuities, so it was not who you knew but fair open competition based on price
block trading and stock underwriting is Salomon's future
graduate school he had another job and this was real estate
he didn't expect to stay as more time than he did 15 years
4. so he was made a general partner which was he expected he didnt get chosen right away to his disappointment three months later he was made a general partner
now hes a partner or general partyner he is now responsible equities this means stocl trading, sales m arbitrage, and converyble bonds. perry jay jay left becauase of an accident and thedn he got stuck with dicl rosenthazl and they did not like eacotther comeptve and dick rosenthal wantdd to kihnda fire him
'
5. later as general partner and responsible do the stuff block stock business' became unprofitable
dick Rosenthal joined the executives committee which is the above there general partners he then wanted to computer area because he even working for dick Rosenthal which was not good
so he's now in computer area also known as information systems,
he thought bloomberg thought the firm was going in wrong direction doing profit center accounting ill suited to as complex totally integrated business he's not sure if it was correct to hire managers and department heads. developing mini computers weren't the good idea either. it got him into a bad thing with ibm. he kinda like maybe said not directly or word that he can run it better than them. he had kinda made them not happy and knew he would be let go soon. Gutfreund john was always by his side though and was nice t him.
ch 2 - all the jobs he worked at Salomon
ch 3 - creates bloomberg
ch 4 - bloomberg news
ch 5 - bloomberg news foreign so cover other countries financials
ch 6 - Bloomberg TV
ch 7 - Salomons intial computer made by verizon first they made a second computer made by Bloomberg and a team. one new computer that every one uses multiple computers for the whole company.
ch 8 - Business Practices
ch 9 - Bloomberg Philanthropies and ethics practices
ch 10- Death Experiences
ch 11 - Bloomberg Mayor
And with just a little of his previous employees or coworkers. bloomberg terminals are for investment firms, regulators, security issuers, corporations, commercial and central banks, pension funds, universities and other organizations and individuals.
his jobs (bond and stock certificates 1, trading clerk 2, equity 3, general partner 4 computers area still general partner 5.)
1. first job was at Salomon's investment company this was for bonds and stock certificates paper slips with money in a bank vault to be traded to banks for overnight loans.
his friends were research analysts and investment bankers
2. then he got a chance to be a clerk on the trading floor of the utilities desk there was a much better position and high paying as well here was electric and gas bond were bought and sold. to keep a position book updated with the current inventory a partner there was 2 and they had to sign every transaction ticket he stamped them and updated records i'm assuming this is the utility bond business
3. next job in comp was equities desk no more bonds now he's in stocks
so there are specialists these who are people who trade all day long on the nyse
he was very good
they'd threaten to buy salamon's on stock for Salomon buy now or risk buying never make buyers buy
this was one large transaction going over the counter instead f many shares through small individual transactions over time this is called block trading this was a new big thing
pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, insurance annuities, so it was not who you knew but fair open competition based on price
block trading and stock underwriting is Salomon's future
graduate school he had another job and this was real estate
he didn't expect to stay as more time than he did 15 years
4. so he was made a general partner which was he expected he didnt get chosen right away to his disappointment three months later he was made a general partner
now hes a partner or general partyner he is now responsible equities this means stocl trading, sales m arbitrage, and converyble bonds. perry jay jay left becauase of an accident and thedn he got stuck with dicl rosenthazl and they did not like eacotther comeptve and dick rosenthal wantdd to kihnda fire him
'
5. later as general partner and responsible do the stuff block stock business' became unprofitable
dick Rosenthal joined the executives committee which is the above there general partners he then wanted to computer area because he even working for dick Rosenthal which was not good
so he's now in computer area also known as information systems,
he thought bloomberg thought the firm was going in wrong direction doing profit center accounting ill suited to as complex totally integrated business he's not sure if it was correct to hire managers and department heads. developing mini computers weren't the good idea either. it got him into a bad thing with ibm. he kinda like maybe said not directly or word that he can run it better than them. he had kinda made them not happy and knew he would be let go soon. Gutfreund john was always by his side though and was nice t him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2020
Michael Bloomberg telling his story of being Bloomberg--billionaire from the working class, brilliant workaholic, egomaniac and narcissistic character, caring leader of the family-like team, zealous capitalist nurturing socialism in his company, stubborn and innovative, honest and clear-thinking leader. The book uncovers the complex character of Michael Bloomberg, a man who influenced the whole way of doing information business and who managed to deliver IT project on time and within budget. I like very much his stories of Bloomberg raise and especially Management 101 section. Contrary I find Chapters on family and philanthropy quite weak. The former could be summarized as “Not your business!”. The letter concludes “I have no plans to run for public office” (written in 1997), which contradicts with the decision taken 3 years later to run for NY Mayor.
Overall this is the great book by the great business leader if you take his egoism with a grain of salt. Reading Bloomberg's perspective on his own success was revelatory on several levels. The transformation from a terminal-based business to a news service provider to a communications platform demonstrated tremendous vision and boldness in executing on the idea that there was a demand for improved financial information dissemination and speed. Providing and pushing the frontier for real-time news and price updates has been a great business model. The places they went and the progress they made in different arenas based on this one idea is just great.
Bloomberg has many strong views on management and shares his corporate philosophy of 'us' versus 'them,' of paying in equity from a common pool, of never rehiring someone who's left. From his perspective, it is clear Bloomberg is continuously innovative, an interesting contrast with some current outsider perspectives that in some ways the Bloomberg terminal interface exemplifies an antiquated technology persisting as a legacy system. Keeping in mind that he wrote this book ages ago, pre-governorship and at the time claiming to have no political ambitions, I wonder if companies all inevitable age as their founder's age, if companies that produce products that were revolutionary at the time inevitably stop innovating at such a high level.
His background in sales shines through and seems to have had a large contribution to his success. His belief that his company is the best and his ability to sell that belief to others mak.
Overall this is the great book by the great business leader if you take his egoism with a grain of salt. Reading Bloomberg's perspective on his own success was revelatory on several levels. The transformation from a terminal-based business to a news service provider to a communications platform demonstrated tremendous vision and boldness in executing on the idea that there was a demand for improved financial information dissemination and speed. Providing and pushing the frontier for real-time news and price updates has been a great business model. The places they went and the progress they made in different arenas based on this one idea is just great.
Bloomberg has many strong views on management and shares his corporate philosophy of 'us' versus 'them,' of paying in equity from a common pool, of never rehiring someone who's left. From his perspective, it is clear Bloomberg is continuously innovative, an interesting contrast with some current outsider perspectives that in some ways the Bloomberg terminal interface exemplifies an antiquated technology persisting as a legacy system. Keeping in mind that he wrote this book ages ago, pre-governorship and at the time claiming to have no political ambitions, I wonder if companies all inevitable age as their founder's age, if companies that produce products that were revolutionary at the time inevitably stop innovating at such a high level.
His background in sales shines through and seems to have had a large contribution to his success. His belief that his company is the best and his ability to sell that belief to others mak.
February 26, 2024
I read the updated version, published just before Bloomberg's 2020 presidential campaign. It was not hard to picture everything he had to say as advertisement of his skills in getting things done, and his liberality. I do not have a problem with that, since this was a very entertaining read. Bloomberg has had quite the life after all - poor jewish working class background, day trader at one of the high flying Wall Street firms, Salomon Brothers, then a founder-CEO of a very successful private company, and finally the mayor of New York. He has an enormous ego, and it was refreshing to see someone be aware and unapologetic about it. He most certainly has people skills. The folks he started the company with are still there with him, over 30 years later. He co-wrote this with the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, who he poached from Wall Street Journal. He also happens to be an old Bloomberg hand. So there's something here other than sheer good fortune. Bloomberg himself ascribes his success to not just luck, but hard work and his ability to simplify the problems he has had to face and taking them on one at a time. He worked 12 hours a day all his life, starting from Salomon. He keeps repeating that formula through the book.
... I still think the perfect day is one in which I’m hopelessly overscheduled. Exercise early in the morning and get to work by 7:00 a.m.; a series of rushed meetings; phone call after phone call; e-mails demanding a reply; a hurried business lunch between myriad meetings to solve firm, personnel, financial, and policy problems; perhaps give an interview to a news outlet about a Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative; constantly welcome visiting clients; participate in a Q&A at a client’s big event; make a speech about one of the issues that our foundation is working on; an early dinner event with customers or for a charitable organization we support, followed by a second dinner with friends (where I actually get a chance to stop talking and eat); fall into bed, exhausted but satisfied with the day’s accomplishments, maybe trying to make a dent in the magazines piled up on the nightstand.
February 23, 2020
Overall, Mayor Bloomberg writes in a breezy style that makes for a relaxing read (this isn't an intense policy discussion nor is it some iteration of his platform as a Presidential candidate). While I don't agree with his ideas on many things, he's not a bad author and this deserves a read.
The most interesting part of the book, in my mind, is perhaps the smallest section - which is the first few chapters devoted to how he started Bloomberg, and how it was innovation through information technology that drove his wealth. I didn't know much about him before reading this (outside of his work as a publisher and owner of a radio & television broadcast network).
The least interesting part are the last few sections, where like a 10 year old jumping up and down in class with his hand up for the right answer, he's way too eager to iterate through his philanthropic work. It's almost a shameful attempt to get a gold sticker, pat on the head - whatever - and while it's not distasteful, it ruins his point. Those who give do so for reasons within their heart and soul, and truly don't need a private symphony celebrating it. I believe it was done for political reasons; alas, I think it was meant to be a resume for public office more than anything, so in that context, he probably felt the need to do it.
All in all, it's a great read. No, I won't vote for the guy.. but that's not because I don't think he's not a good person. He comes across as quite genuine and I think those on the fence will see that through this book. I challenge his philosophies, however, and refute certain claims he makes (certain climate change assertions he makes are factually wrong).
The most interesting part of the book, in my mind, is perhaps the smallest section - which is the first few chapters devoted to how he started Bloomberg, and how it was innovation through information technology that drove his wealth. I didn't know much about him before reading this (outside of his work as a publisher and owner of a radio & television broadcast network).
The least interesting part are the last few sections, where like a 10 year old jumping up and down in class with his hand up for the right answer, he's way too eager to iterate through his philanthropic work. It's almost a shameful attempt to get a gold sticker, pat on the head - whatever - and while it's not distasteful, it ruins his point. Those who give do so for reasons within their heart and soul, and truly don't need a private symphony celebrating it. I believe it was done for political reasons; alas, I think it was meant to be a resume for public office more than anything, so in that context, he probably felt the need to do it.
All in all, it's a great read. No, I won't vote for the guy.. but that's not because I don't think he's not a good person. He comes across as quite genuine and I think those on the fence will see that through this book. I challenge his philosophies, however, and refute certain claims he makes (certain climate change assertions he makes are factually wrong).
May 27, 2017
Then, there's the desire to see one's name in print. I claim immunity to the ego gratification a self-promoting book provides. After all, with the success of our company, my name on the door worldwide, myself as the company's spokesperson, you'd think I'd be blase about publicity by now. But the truth is, recognition is heady stuff, and receiving even insincere adulation is a kick. (Michael Bloomberg, Bloomberg by Bloomberg, Page 252)
Wanted to vomit at times as I read this book, as the author talks so much about himself and how great he is and how great his company is and how unselfish he is, etc. etc. Egomaniac.
I don't think this guy is on the right path then or now. I gave him the benefit of the doubt by reading his book without judgment; however, this book is all about him. He does talk about charity, but he makes sure his family got all their stuff and only donates mostly to what can advance himself and his company. Barf.
Best chapter in this whole book is Chapter 10 in my opinion. In it, he actually explains some practical things that made him great in business. However, not great in his relationship with his wife, as he mentions he divorced and explained some reason of differing interests as time went on. I don't think he is fit to be in any moral leadership role and I hope he never considers running for office of the president. He may have been able to build a great company, but I don't think he has the morals to build a great country. Those are my thoughts.
Wanted to vomit at times as I read this book, as the author talks so much about himself and how great he is and how great his company is and how unselfish he is, etc. etc. Egomaniac.
I don't think this guy is on the right path then or now. I gave him the benefit of the doubt by reading his book without judgment; however, this book is all about him. He does talk about charity, but he makes sure his family got all their stuff and only donates mostly to what can advance himself and his company. Barf.
Best chapter in this whole book is Chapter 10 in my opinion. In it, he actually explains some practical things that made him great in business. However, not great in his relationship with his wife, as he mentions he divorced and explained some reason of differing interests as time went on. I don't think he is fit to be in any moral leadership role and I hope he never considers running for office of the president. He may have been able to build a great company, but I don't think he has the morals to build a great country. Those are my thoughts.
December 4, 2016
I found this book somewhat hard to define. It's not exactly an autobiography as the retelling of stories and the life of the writer isn't really coherent or rigorous, then some chapters feel like reading one long advertisement for Bloomberg services, there are countless rants and manifests throughout the book, for the most part very enjoyable and inspiring and about unexpected topics like education, civic duties, etc., and there are other chapters where technical aspects of things are explained in great (and maybe unnecessary) lengths. Overall, the book feels like going fishing with an uncle who's passionate about a few things in his life and who has a couple of stories to tell, then listening to him, having a conversation and learning about stuff even to the price of a few boring moments where you just nod along and pretend like the inner-wirings of aircraft engines and computer terminals are fascinating topics. It feels like a personal book and well worth a read because I think people like Bloomberg make nations great and that his thoughts and approach to life could inspire and benefit even the skeptical reader. Finally, I have to mention the chapter on Philanthropy which I think is worthy of being made part of a Civics course curriculum.
April 30, 2020
The book gives very solid advice and insight into what it takes to be an entrepreneur and a good manager and how Bloomberg did it himself.
Sadly, however, that’s just about it.
The book very often strays from what the chapter is meant to talk about to explain some loosely related event of topic that Mr Bloomberg wants to highlight about his approach or the company or his opinion. The tactic isn’t bad but it adds very little value most of the time.
Far too often the chapters of the book didn’t read very well quite simply because of the style of writing. “The mayor’s candid style” is not meant for a book. Based on delivery alone this book is a 2/5 at best for me.
I really don’t know much about Mr Bloomberg to be skeptical about how genuine the opinions in the book might be but I still am. They didn’t come across as genuine and the stories he shared didn’t back them up very well to me.
I would only recommend this book if you want to know about Bloomberg himself and how he built and runs his company specifically.
If you are simply interested in management and entrepreneurship I’d recommended several other books before this one.
Sadly, however, that’s just about it.
The book very often strays from what the chapter is meant to talk about to explain some loosely related event of topic that Mr Bloomberg wants to highlight about his approach or the company or his opinion. The tactic isn’t bad but it adds very little value most of the time.
Far too often the chapters of the book didn’t read very well quite simply because of the style of writing. “The mayor’s candid style” is not meant for a book. Based on delivery alone this book is a 2/5 at best for me.
I really don’t know much about Mr Bloomberg to be skeptical about how genuine the opinions in the book might be but I still am. They didn’t come across as genuine and the stories he shared didn’t back them up very well to me.
I would only recommend this book if you want to know about Bloomberg himself and how he built and runs his company specifically.
If you are simply interested in management and entrepreneurship I’d recommended several other books before this one.
November 13, 2019
I haven’t been that sad that I’ve finished reading the book since, I guess, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone”.
I found the book being more inspiring than most of “coaching, mentoring, do-small-things-and-change-your-life” books. It’s hard to decide what I liked most: the style & humor; the ideas which found respond in my heart and brain; or the story of not just becoming wealthy & successful but the manual what one can do next. The narrative is interesting and non-linear still easy-to-follow.
The only peace of criticism I can agree with is that the author describes himself being a bit too perfect - even the stories that are served as shameful ones sound between the lines as praises to oneself. But it’s quite tolerable, as nowadays people with shorter lists of achievements name themselves gurus. Seems like Bloomberg deserves such a title, at least to certain extent.
I found the book being more inspiring than most of “coaching, mentoring, do-small-things-and-change-your-life” books. It’s hard to decide what I liked most: the style & humor; the ideas which found respond in my heart and brain; or the story of not just becoming wealthy & successful but the manual what one can do next. The narrative is interesting and non-linear still easy-to-follow.
The only peace of criticism I can agree with is that the author describes himself being a bit too perfect - even the stories that are served as shameful ones sound between the lines as praises to oneself. But it’s quite tolerable, as nowadays people with shorter lists of achievements name themselves gurus. Seems like Bloomberg deserves such a title, at least to certain extent.
June 1, 2021
No sabía quién era Bloomberg pero me encantó su historia luego de salir del MBA trabajo como cualquier egresado de una universidad, pero aprendió todo lo que pudo, disfrutaba de su trabajo, hasta que se disolvió la empresa que trabajaba y luego se quedó en nada con la parte de dinero que le correspondía, hasta que fundó su propia empresa, hasta ser uno de los mejores informantes de datos con su terminal.
No le gustaba comprar empresas si el podía empezar de cero, luego fue alcalde de New York donde trabajo desde la alcaldía y convocó a empresarios para sacar adelante el estado. Siempre se basó en el concepto, que la persona adecuada para evaluar tu trabajo es el cliente, no tus mismos compañeros de trabajo.
No le gustaba comprar empresas si el podía empezar de cero, luego fue alcalde de New York donde trabajo desde la alcaldía y convocó a empresarios para sacar adelante el estado. Siempre se basó en el concepto, que la persona adecuada para evaluar tu trabajo es el cliente, no tus mismos compañeros de trabajo.
March 6, 2022
This wasn't the most interesting book I've read in the realm of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs, but it sure was better than I expected it to be. Mike's story from an investment banker, to building Bloomberg, to being Mayor of New York City is a fascinating one that brought me various pieces of insight and/or different ways of seeing something. For example, as a compulsive planner, I found his argument against certain types of planning (both from a personal as well as a professional standpoint) very persuading. I also enjoyed learning about how financial markets have changed in the past 50 years, and how technology and information are continuing to change them today.
January 25, 2020
Straight talk
I enjoyed the straight-talk style that Bloomberg writes in. He comes across as very authentic, unlike many other politicians. At times the book did read like the employee handbook for Bloomberg’s company, but perhaps that was an audience he had in mind when writing. I wanted an even deeper understanding of his political views leading up to the election, but that fell short in my opinion. Overall, I recommend reading if you’re interested in getting to better know this Presidential candidate.
I enjoyed the straight-talk style that Bloomberg writes in. He comes across as very authentic, unlike many other politicians. At times the book did read like the employee handbook for Bloomberg’s company, but perhaps that was an audience he had in mind when writing. I wanted an even deeper understanding of his political views leading up to the election, but that fell short in my opinion. Overall, I recommend reading if you’re interested in getting to better know this Presidential candidate.
December 26, 2021
A fascinating and unexpected source of inspiration and stretch-thinking. "The CEO is also the company's morale officer. He or she must promote an atmosphere in which ordinary people who try new things that fail are encouraged to try again. Projects that succeed always get support and provide their proponents sufficient adulation. It's the failures the timid watch. A belief that trying new things could jeopardize one's career stifles creativity. Lose the contribution of the average employee and you lose the war."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews