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I Am John Galt: Today's Heroic Innovators Building the World and the Villainous Parasites Destroying It
Inspired by Ayn Rand's characters in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, penetrating profiles of both the innovators who move our world forward and those who seek to destroy the achievement of others John Galt, the fictional character from Ayn Rand's bestselling novel, Atlas Shrugged , has come to embody the individualist capitalist who acts in his own enlightened self interest, and in doing so lifts the world around him. Some of today's most successful CEOs, journalists, sports figures, actors, and thinkers have led their lives according to Galt's (i.e., Rand's) philosophy. Now, in I Am John Galt , these inspiring stories are gathered with the keen insight and analysis of well-known market commentator Donald Luskin and business writer Andrew Greta. Filled with exclusive interviews, profiles, and analyses of leading financial, business, and artistic stars who have based their lives, and careers, on the philosophy of the perennially popular Ayn Rand, this book both inspires and enlightens. On the other side are Rand's arch villains?the power-seekers, parasites, and lunatics who would destroy that which the creators and builders make. Who are today's anti-heroes, fighting the creativity of the innovators?
307 pages, Hardcover
First published May 4, 2011
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June 21, 2025
2025-06-21 Just finished this an hour ago. Wanted to outline what the book covers right away, while it is fresh in my mind, a bit of a new style for me.
It is a funky book, but I think quite valuable in many ways. I have some issues with it, which I will detail to some extent, but many great qualities.
Intro - Very neat background on Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism. If you don't know much about Rand, this is a very good intro to her, her books and ideas. If you already have read Rand, this will be a nice little refresher on what the Author sees as her key works and ideas, as well as an application of her ideas and fictional characters to some important figures from the late 20th century through the early 21st in the US, but affecting the world.
From there, the author highlights a central character (Heroes and Villains) from Ayn Rand's two key novels: Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead and the person in 2011 (or not long before that) America who best represents that character's traits/symbolism to him.
Chap. 1 - "The Individualist" - Steve Jobs/Apple as Howard Roark
Chap. 2 - "The Mad Collectivist" - Paul Krugman/Princeton/NY Times as Ellsworth Toohey
Chap. 3 - "The Leader" - John Galt - as John Allison/BB&T Bank
Chap. 4 - "The Parasite" - James Taggart - as Angelo Mozilo/Countrywide
Chap. 5 - "The Persecuted Titan" - Bill Gates/Microsoft/Gates Foundation as Hank Rearden
Chap. 6 - "The Central Planner" - Barney Frank/Congressman as Wesley Mouch
Chap. 7 - "Capitalist Champion" - TJ Rodgers/Cypress Semiconductor as Francisco d'Anconia
Chap. 8 - "The Sellout" - Alan Greenspan/Fed Chairman as Richard Stadler
Chap. 9 - "The Economist of Liberty" - Milton Friedman as Hugh Akston
I loved all the choices (with only one exception) of real life individuals and the key characters the authors chose and did a great job in describing. My favorite chapter was on the central planner and huge villain in the Financial Crisis of 2008 drama, Barney Frank. That chapter complements the great book by John Allison "The Financial Crisis" which examines that awful historical disaster with a most objective method. The details of Frank's part in bringing the disaster on and escaping any blame was a tour de force for one chapter. DON'T miss it.
Further thoughts:
Anyone could quibble with the authors' choices of who to pick from the real world to best highlight the various key fictional characters.
The one real life person who the authors chose who Rand (and I for certain reasons) would have objected to was Milton Friedman. The authors seem oblivious to certain very central problems of economics re: money, welfare and method where Friedman was weakest. They also seem totally unaware of the economist's work who Rand liked best and used extensively in building her case for the economics of liberty, Ludwig Mises. Friedman was indeed the far more well-known/popular and influential figure in the US in the late 20th and early 21st century. However, one glimmer of understanding by the authors of one of Friedman's inconsistencies was a brief mention of Ron Paul in the book. What they did not mention was that Ron Paul's economics came from Mises, and it was far more extensive than just the issue of Ending the Fed.
It is a funky book, but I think quite valuable in many ways. I have some issues with it, which I will detail to some extent, but many great qualities.
Intro - Very neat background on Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism. If you don't know much about Rand, this is a very good intro to her, her books and ideas. If you already have read Rand, this will be a nice little refresher on what the Author sees as her key works and ideas, as well as an application of her ideas and fictional characters to some important figures from the late 20th century through the early 21st in the US, but affecting the world.
From there, the author highlights a central character (Heroes and Villains) from Ayn Rand's two key novels: Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead and the person in 2011 (or not long before that) America who best represents that character's traits/symbolism to him.
Chap. 1 - "The Individualist" - Steve Jobs/Apple as Howard Roark
Chap. 2 - "The Mad Collectivist" - Paul Krugman/Princeton/NY Times as Ellsworth Toohey
Chap. 3 - "The Leader" - John Galt - as John Allison/BB&T Bank
Chap. 4 - "The Parasite" - James Taggart - as Angelo Mozilo/Countrywide
Chap. 5 - "The Persecuted Titan" - Bill Gates/Microsoft/Gates Foundation as Hank Rearden
Chap. 6 - "The Central Planner" - Barney Frank/Congressman as Wesley Mouch
Chap. 7 - "Capitalist Champion" - TJ Rodgers/Cypress Semiconductor as Francisco d'Anconia
Chap. 8 - "The Sellout" - Alan Greenspan/Fed Chairman as Richard Stadler
Chap. 9 - "The Economist of Liberty" - Milton Friedman as Hugh Akston
I loved all the choices (with only one exception) of real life individuals and the key characters the authors chose and did a great job in describing. My favorite chapter was on the central planner and huge villain in the Financial Crisis of 2008 drama, Barney Frank. That chapter complements the great book by John Allison "The Financial Crisis" which examines that awful historical disaster with a most objective method. The details of Frank's part in bringing the disaster on and escaping any blame was a tour de force for one chapter. DON'T miss it.
Further thoughts:
Anyone could quibble with the authors' choices of who to pick from the real world to best highlight the various key fictional characters.
The one real life person who the authors chose who Rand (and I for certain reasons) would have objected to was Milton Friedman. The authors seem oblivious to certain very central problems of economics re: money, welfare and method where Friedman was weakest. They also seem totally unaware of the economist's work who Rand liked best and used extensively in building her case for the economics of liberty, Ludwig Mises. Friedman was indeed the far more well-known/popular and influential figure in the US in the late 20th and early 21st century. However, one glimmer of understanding by the authors of one of Friedman's inconsistencies was a brief mention of Ron Paul in the book. What they did not mention was that Ron Paul's economics came from Mises, and it was far more extensive than just the issue of Ending the Fed.
October 2, 2012
This book delivers on a fascinating concept: find real-world people who embody the virtues and vices of the protagonists and villains in Ayn Rand's novels. It's a creative angle to look at the lives of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Milton Friedman, Barney Frank, and others through the lens of Ayn Rand's characters and philosophy. Some of the descriptions lack depth--for example, I understood that the U.S. Government went after Bill Gates for supposed antitrust issues, and the book is obviously defending Gates, but I never got a clear grasp of what the government's argument was, specifically.
The stories of the Randian heroes (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Milton Friedman, TJ Rodgers, and John Allison) were interesting, but the villains really delivered the best reading. The chapter on Paul Krugman was the most emotional, as it involved Krugman's personal demonization of the author. I worried that the account might be less than objective, but I know enough about Krugman from other sources that I don't doubt he's the dirtbag the book portrays him as.
The architects of the recent housing market meltdown (and subsequent wrecking ball into the general economy), Barney Frank on the government side and Angelo Mozilo (Countrywide) on the business side, are portrayed as arrogant and greedy collectivists that align perfectly with Rand's worst villians. The authors trace in great detail how Frank's pursuit of increased homeownership and the subsequent availability of billions in government-backed funds created a huge opportunity for Countrywide to exploit for massive profit, processing thousands of risky sub-prime mortgages and then selling them to the government.
I read Atlas Shrugged just prior to reading I Am John Galt, so I've been thinking a lot lately about Rand's philosophy, sifting through it and affirming the pieces that conform to a Christian worldview and rejecting those that do not. She is at her greatest and most persuasive in her indictment of government meddling, and in turning virtue on its head, especially in the realm of economics and capitalism. That is where this book does a great service by connecting real-world, modern businessmen and politicians to Randian ideas.
The stories of the Randian heroes (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Milton Friedman, TJ Rodgers, and John Allison) were interesting, but the villains really delivered the best reading. The chapter on Paul Krugman was the most emotional, as it involved Krugman's personal demonization of the author. I worried that the account might be less than objective, but I know enough about Krugman from other sources that I don't doubt he's the dirtbag the book portrays him as.
The architects of the recent housing market meltdown (and subsequent wrecking ball into the general economy), Barney Frank on the government side and Angelo Mozilo (Countrywide) on the business side, are portrayed as arrogant and greedy collectivists that align perfectly with Rand's worst villians. The authors trace in great detail how Frank's pursuit of increased homeownership and the subsequent availability of billions in government-backed funds created a huge opportunity for Countrywide to exploit for massive profit, processing thousands of risky sub-prime mortgages and then selling them to the government.
I read Atlas Shrugged just prior to reading I Am John Galt, so I've been thinking a lot lately about Rand's philosophy, sifting through it and affirming the pieces that conform to a Christian worldview and rejecting those that do not. She is at her greatest and most persuasive in her indictment of government meddling, and in turning virtue on its head, especially in the realm of economics and capitalism. That is where this book does a great service by connecting real-world, modern businessmen and politicians to Randian ideas.
August 19, 2011
AN ANTHEM!
“Heroes stand for principles, not expediency.”—page 22
What a complete joy it was to read someone who stands up and applauds some of our real and contemporary (often unsung) heroes, and pans some of our worst villains.
Despite its somewhat laborious title, ‘I Am John Galt…,’ by Donald Luskin is a praiseworthy, five-star, concept all the way, and a good read. While execution of the concept falls a tad short—I’d have enjoyed the book more, I think, if Luskin hadn’t tried so hard to squeeze the real-life folks into the personalities of some Rand’s fictional characters—it does work, overall.
Recommendation: Highly commended to all who enjoy being free.
“A Society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.”—page 246
A Barnes and Noble NookBook, 285 pages
“Heroes stand for principles, not expediency.”—page 22
What a complete joy it was to read someone who stands up and applauds some of our real and contemporary (often unsung) heroes, and pans some of our worst villains.
Despite its somewhat laborious title, ‘I Am John Galt…,’ by Donald Luskin is a praiseworthy, five-star, concept all the way, and a good read. While execution of the concept falls a tad short—I’d have enjoyed the book more, I think, if Luskin hadn’t tried so hard to squeeze the real-life folks into the personalities of some Rand’s fictional characters—it does work, overall.
Recommendation: Highly commended to all who enjoy being free.
“A Society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.”—page 246
A Barnes and Noble NookBook, 285 pages
November 15, 2015
Absolutely phenomenal little read on the heroes and villains building and destroying the world today. While it can come off as one-sided and hyperbolic at times, it's not necessarily wrong in many of its descriptions of characters. I once had an investor friend of mine tell me that the best thing you can read if you want to work with successful people is biographies of successful people. Luskin's little bios here almost supply a philosophical "do's and don'ts" for those looking to learn how to put their values into action in the world around them.
September 8, 2016
Whether you're a proponent of Ayn Rand's belief structure or not, the author stretches a bit to far in finding real life examples of Rand's heros and villains. It isn't that I disagree with his general comparisons of real life individuals to Rand characters, but in attempting to draw out the comparisons, the focus on certain character traits and attempts to show the real life people as either a hero or a villain turns the comparisons into caricatures. Particularly galling is the chapter on Paul Krugman - while I may not be a big fan of Krugman and often completely disagree with his logic and his philosophical views, the author's portrayal of his personal battle with Krugman borders on crazy. On the other hand, the author's fawning view of Bill Gates goes too far the other way. While I think Gates has done great things and can be admired for many reasons, the author's near deification of him and his brief but complete dismissal of all aspects of the antitrust/anticompetition claims that were brought against Microsoft misses any nuance or balanced presentation that ultimately weakens the book's message.
The book is well-written and is an interesting read. It is unfortunate that it was written in such an over-the-top, pro-Rand style instead of relying a bit more on logic and reason instead of rhetoric as it would have had a more convincing message and broader appeal.
The book is well-written and is an interesting read. It is unfortunate that it was written in such an over-the-top, pro-Rand style instead of relying a bit more on logic and reason instead of rhetoric as it would have had a more convincing message and broader appeal.
August 21, 2014
As a fan of Ayn Rand, this was really enjoyable to parallel the leaders of today with those of Rand. Even if you don't agree with the choices, Mr. Luskin makes a reasoned case for his picks. His research also reminded me of some of the events in the U.S. that I had forgotten about. This is a good reminder of how the innovators are hindered by the government in the name of social well being. Even if your not a fan of Rand, this is a good read because it points out some of the events in recent history that are amazing (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, John Allison, etc) and shocking (Paul Krugman, Barney Frank, etc). Recommend for a good parallel comparison.
January 5, 2012
Informative in some ways but I thought the author was blatantly critical of people he does not agree with.
November 1, 2016
So here is the premise of this book - Take characters from Ayn Rand and fit them into people today - 5 heroes and 4 villains. The heroes are Steve Jobs, John Allison (of BB&T),Bill Gates, TJ Rogers (Cypress Semiconductor) and Milton Friedman. The villains are Paul Krugman, Anthony Mozilo, Barney Frank, and Alan Greenspan. Greenspan is given a partial (and I believe unjustified) pass because of his former association with Rand. Each of the chapters describes the Rand character and then gives a short bio of the person being compared.
Each of the modern characters are assumed to be a Rand Character - Steve Jobs (Howard Rourke), Paul Krugman (Ellsworth Toohy), John Allison (John Galt),Anthony Mozilo (James Taggart), Bill Gates (Henry Riordan), Barney Frank (Wesley Mouch), TJ Rogers (Francisco d Anconia), Alan Greenspan (Robert Starlet), and Milton Friedman (Hugh Acton).
Many of the parallels seem about right - although a lot of Rand's characters are stylized. So when we find out how utterly wrong Paul Krugman has been (starting with a 1983 memorandum that he and Larry Summers wrote in 1983 when working for the Nixon CEA that postulated that because of the deficits (then) the inflation rate would rise by 5%) we can see Ellsworth Toohy the columnist who prized mediocrity. Mozilo was an evil genius who with the complicity of other members of Congress helped to fuel the housing bust (See also former Senator Dodd). Although Mouch moved from being a lobbyist who would betray his boss to being the head of an economic planning council in Rand's book he could be two of the characters profiled in the book. In real life as John Allison built BB&T into a monster regional bank he advised all of his employees to read Rand and live by her principles. But for several I felt like the authors took a bit of artistic license.
For me Rand offered some very interesting albeit stylized stories about the importance of liberty. And indeed this treatment of Randian characters is a good way to bring her ideas forward without the long perorations that she seemed to slip into every book she wrote. While the matching can sometimes be a bit off - the substance of the arguments presented are sound. The increasing interventions into the economy by government in housing destabilized the market and caused the downfall - that came in changes in tax policy but also in pushing the idiotic goal that every American should own a house. Luskin also details the groupthink that is common in Washington thinking which 20 miles out of the beltway most people laugh at.
Rand is sometimes hard to translate as we found in the adaptation of Atlas Shrugged which started with such promise but by the third part had deteriorated into a horrible cinematic attempt. But her thinking should influence Americans who believe there are risks with too much intervention in our lives.
Each of the modern characters are assumed to be a Rand Character - Steve Jobs (Howard Rourke), Paul Krugman (Ellsworth Toohy), John Allison (John Galt),Anthony Mozilo (James Taggart), Bill Gates (Henry Riordan), Barney Frank (Wesley Mouch), TJ Rogers (Francisco d Anconia), Alan Greenspan (Robert Starlet), and Milton Friedman (Hugh Acton).
Many of the parallels seem about right - although a lot of Rand's characters are stylized. So when we find out how utterly wrong Paul Krugman has been (starting with a 1983 memorandum that he and Larry Summers wrote in 1983 when working for the Nixon CEA that postulated that because of the deficits (then) the inflation rate would rise by 5%) we can see Ellsworth Toohy the columnist who prized mediocrity. Mozilo was an evil genius who with the complicity of other members of Congress helped to fuel the housing bust (See also former Senator Dodd). Although Mouch moved from being a lobbyist who would betray his boss to being the head of an economic planning council in Rand's book he could be two of the characters profiled in the book. In real life as John Allison built BB&T into a monster regional bank he advised all of his employees to read Rand and live by her principles. But for several I felt like the authors took a bit of artistic license.
For me Rand offered some very interesting albeit stylized stories about the importance of liberty. And indeed this treatment of Randian characters is a good way to bring her ideas forward without the long perorations that she seemed to slip into every book she wrote. While the matching can sometimes be a bit off - the substance of the arguments presented are sound. The increasing interventions into the economy by government in housing destabilized the market and caused the downfall - that came in changes in tax policy but also in pushing the idiotic goal that every American should own a house. Luskin also details the groupthink that is common in Washington thinking which 20 miles out of the beltway most people laugh at.
Rand is sometimes hard to translate as we found in the adaptation of Atlas Shrugged which started with such promise but by the third part had deteriorated into a horrible cinematic attempt. But her thinking should influence Americans who believe there are risks with too much intervention in our lives.
February 22, 2022
To my friend and previous co-worker Rodney, thank you so much for turning me on to Ayn Rand and Atlast Shrugged. Through my years working in different industries and seeing the toils of labor and the industrial engines to the changes to big data and different industries supporting services and entertainment across the world, the teaching of Ayn Rand have helped me better understand what is taking place in the world.
Fast forward to this book (Yes 5*'s); this is a great insight into how the teachings of capitalism from decades ago are still 100% relevant today. Also cool facts to find out that Ayn Rand and Alan Greenspan were friends with Alan using some of her teaching to change the US financial systems.
This books history covering great political and financial figures and their influences on societal changes are great, insightful and really give you pause when you stop and ask why are they making those changes. Thinking about incentives, government overreaches, and collectivism can be the root of some policies, and you often wonder why.
Great read for Ayn Rand fans and for believers in capitalism!!
Fast forward to this book (Yes 5*'s); this is a great insight into how the teachings of capitalism from decades ago are still 100% relevant today. Also cool facts to find out that Ayn Rand and Alan Greenspan were friends with Alan using some of her teaching to change the US financial systems.
This books history covering great political and financial figures and their influences on societal changes are great, insightful and really give you pause when you stop and ask why are they making those changes. Thinking about incentives, government overreaches, and collectivism can be the root of some policies, and you often wonder why.
Great read for Ayn Rand fans and for believers in capitalism!!
March 25, 2021
solid read -- still haven't actually read ayn rand, but I am familiar with the ideals. now I'm actually more interested in checking out atlas shrugged. I definitely subscribed to the hatred bestowed upon bill gates and microsoft back in the day. although, in retrospect, it was poorly placed hatred. I was just following the masses. I used netscape even then and didn't care that IE was bundled into the OS. I thought it was garbage as a file explorer and disliked that, but honestly, it was better than most things that were out there and they continue to innovate even today. why is that wrong? at any rate, I enjoyed this book and the discussion about characters I've never heard of being compared to real-world figures I have heard of. And it was a great discussion of randian philosophy. It's a shame we're slowly rolling down the toilet bowl of collectivism, though. maybe we'll make one big error and realize how terrible that path is before it's too late to make a change.
January 6, 2015
I Am John Galt has a number of interesting profiles of entrepreneurs, politicians, and economists, filtered through the compelling but implausible prism of Ayn Rand's heroes and villains truly walking among us. I found the book to be an engaging overview of key figures in the American economic landscape, at its most interesting when Luskin profiles people with whom I had little familiarity (like John Allison and Angelo Mozilo). It's worth a look if you take it with a grain of salt, but it has a couple of shortcomings that may turn off other readers.
While Luskin does a nice job of showing the characteristics his subjects have in common with Rand's characters, he makes no effort to present counterarguments. Rand, by choice, chose to write about outsized Romantic heroes and villains; these flesh-and-blood people possess a mixture of virtues and flaws that introduce contradictions and shades of gray into who they are. I would have appreciated the profiles more if Luskin had focused on some of these contradictions and attempted to explore how they may fall short of their comparison characters. (The closest he comes to counterargument is in his profile of Bill Gates, standing in for Atlas Shrugged's Henry Rearden, when he insinuates Gates abandoned quasi-Objectivist principles to devote his life and fortune to charity, a bizarre tack that is unsupported by virtually anything Gates has publicly said about himself and his personal beliefs. Is it so hard to believe that a successful, brilliant, passionate businessman could also have an honest philanthropic urge, rather than one predicated on a global guilt trip?)
Another issue I have is with Luskin's chapter on Paul Krugman. It's...weird. Granted, Krugman's columns typically make me roll my eyes, and I can certainly see parallels he has with the character of Ellsworth Toohey (most notably his predilection toward using his field of "expertise" as a bully pulpit for just about any subject he cares to comment on). Luskin, sadly, spends the majority of his time detailing a personal war of words with Krugman that did little to prove his case, and mostly made both men sound like petty lunatics. It was around that point that I wondered why I was reading the book.
Overall, I liked many aspects of I Am John Galt, but the combination of one-sided arguments and the bizarre personal vendetta with Krugman made me question the veracity of his other comparisons, interesting as they were.
While Luskin does a nice job of showing the characteristics his subjects have in common with Rand's characters, he makes no effort to present counterarguments. Rand, by choice, chose to write about outsized Romantic heroes and villains; these flesh-and-blood people possess a mixture of virtues and flaws that introduce contradictions and shades of gray into who they are. I would have appreciated the profiles more if Luskin had focused on some of these contradictions and attempted to explore how they may fall short of their comparison characters. (The closest he comes to counterargument is in his profile of Bill Gates, standing in for Atlas Shrugged's Henry Rearden, when he insinuates Gates abandoned quasi-Objectivist principles to devote his life and fortune to charity, a bizarre tack that is unsupported by virtually anything Gates has publicly said about himself and his personal beliefs. Is it so hard to believe that a successful, brilliant, passionate businessman could also have an honest philanthropic urge, rather than one predicated on a global guilt trip?)
Another issue I have is with Luskin's chapter on Paul Krugman. It's...weird. Granted, Krugman's columns typically make me roll my eyes, and I can certainly see parallels he has with the character of Ellsworth Toohey (most notably his predilection toward using his field of "expertise" as a bully pulpit for just about any subject he cares to comment on). Luskin, sadly, spends the majority of his time detailing a personal war of words with Krugman that did little to prove his case, and mostly made both men sound like petty lunatics. It was around that point that I wondered why I was reading the book.
Overall, I liked many aspects of I Am John Galt, but the combination of one-sided arguments and the bizarre personal vendetta with Krugman made me question the veracity of his other comparisons, interesting as they were.
May 4, 2014
A fascinating project. I learned something about several businessmen I'd never encountered before now. And I am always grateful to anything that helps me better grasp the many layers of the housing crash, something in which several of the author's villains and one of his heroes played a part.
I do think the Paul Krugman = Toohey chapter was poorly argued. That one felt more self-serving than anything. Most of the chapter is spent talking about the author's own blog crusade against Krugman. Also, Krugman may be a collectivist with very un-Randian ideas. But saying he had a childhood science fiction hero who ruled the galaxy doesn't mean it's his personal goal. Finally, the justification for why it was okay to fight Krugman when the authors repeatedly mentions Roark's dismissal of Toohey felt weak.
I do think the Paul Krugman = Toohey chapter was poorly argued. That one felt more self-serving than anything. Most of the chapter is spent talking about the author's own blog crusade against Krugman. Also, Krugman may be a collectivist with very un-Randian ideas. But saying he had a childhood science fiction hero who ruled the galaxy doesn't mean it's his personal goal. Finally, the justification for why it was okay to fight Krugman when the authors repeatedly mentions Roark's dismissal of Toohey felt weak.
January 20, 2016
I am John Galt is a brief biography chronicling the lives of the heroes and villains in the 20th century. Luskin compared The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged characters to real live people:
-Steve Jobs as Howard Roark
-Paul Krugman as Ellsworth Toohey
-John Allison as John Galt
-Angelo Mozilo as James Taggart
-Bill Gates as Henry Rearden
-Barney Frank as Wesley Mouch
-T. J. Rodgers as Francisco D'Anconia
- Alan Greenspan as Dr. Robert Stadler
- Milton Friedman as Hugh Akston
It's an inspiring book written with reason and pride, a proud work surely would have been approved by Rand herself.
-Steve Jobs as Howard Roark
-Paul Krugman as Ellsworth Toohey
-John Allison as John Galt
-Angelo Mozilo as James Taggart
-Bill Gates as Henry Rearden
-Barney Frank as Wesley Mouch
-T. J. Rodgers as Francisco D'Anconia
- Alan Greenspan as Dr. Robert Stadler
- Milton Friedman as Hugh Akston
It's an inspiring book written with reason and pride, a proud work surely would have been approved by Rand herself.
August 25, 2016
Interesting discussion on the "John Galt" that exists around us and the parasites that exist too. In the chapter about Bill Gates the authors sing his praises for his innovations and the creation of Microsoft. However they never discuss his foundation and its negative impact on child learning (Common Core). Frankly Mr Gates should stick to Microsoft and get out of the Common Core business.
The chapters about Angelo Mozzilo and Barney Frank are an interesting read about how we got into the housing mess and how easily this could happen again.
The chapters about Angelo Mozzilo and Barney Frank are an interesting read about how we got into the housing mess and how easily this could happen again.
July 6, 2013
Since I am not afraid of ideas even when I don't agree with them, I had no problem making my way through this book. There are some inconsistancies in Randian philosophy, but it gets higher marks for the many good ideas that I can mine from it, and it was good to get a different perspective on recent events in economic and social history. The book is also valuable to get another side to the biographies of the people featured in it.
June 19, 2013
Great book portraying many individuals (Steve Jobs etc) as Randian heroes, and others (Barney Frank etc) as Randian villains. The main defect of the book is that it falls into the left v. right paradigm where the Democrats are the bad guys (looters) and the Republicans are the good guys (free-market). In reality both parties are a looters.
December 30, 2014
This does a good job of taking the heroes and villains from Ayn's The Fountain Head and Atlas Shrugged to show real life examples from recent history of people like Bill Gates, Steve's Jobs and Milton Freeman who have exemplified the philosophy of objectivism to beat back the parasites destroying their work and the benefit to society.
June 20, 2011
Excellent read - an Economics Theory & Political Commentary book that read like a novel!
Good read, and recommended!
Good read, and recommended!
March 21, 2012
Very inspiring!
August 4, 2012
Amazing how he finds real people with the same morals as Ayn's characters.
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December 4, 2011From Books24x7
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