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Born to Be Wired: Lessons from a Lifetime Transforming Television, Wiring America for the Internet, and Growing Formula One, Discovery, Sirius XM, and the Atlanta Braves
Although millions have been touched by the technologies and content he made possible, John Malone is a stranger to most people. In Born to Be Wired, this legendary “cable cowboy” shares stories from behind the scenes of the most transformative deals in media, entertainment, and technology. He recounts the extraordinary saga of how America was wired—how a single copper strand evolved from a rural TV-antenna service into a high-speed backbone powering the internet and clearing the path for Amazon, Facebook, and Google.
Malone offers an insider’s account of launching television’s first cable networks and the strategy behind era-defining mergers, from Warner Bros. Discovery to Live Nation Entertainment. His Liberty Media ventures, including Formula One, have delivered long-term returns often compared to Berkshire Hathaway.
More than a business story, this is a personal reflection—from a quiet kid with a mechanic’s curiosity to a media visionary confronting the costs and consequences of disruption in an industry he helped reshape. Trained at the storied Bell Labs and gifted with a mathematical mind, Malone saw patterns in complexity. Where others saw chaos he saw systems—and reconfigured companies with the precision of an engineer, unlocking value no one else could see.
Malone offers an insider’s account of launching television’s first cable networks and the strategy behind era-defining mergers, from Warner Bros. Discovery to Live Nation Entertainment. His Liberty Media ventures, including Formula One, have delivered long-term returns often compared to Berkshire Hathaway.
More than a business story, this is a personal reflection—from a quiet kid with a mechanic’s curiosity to a media visionary confronting the costs and consequences of disruption in an industry he helped reshape. Trained at the storied Bell Labs and gifted with a mathematical mind, Malone saw patterns in complexity. Where others saw chaos he saw systems—and reconfigured companies with the precision of an engineer, unlocking value no one else could see.
432 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2025
216 people are currently reading
665 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 14, 2025
This is one of my top 5 favorite books that I have read.
Firstly, I would like to say I have always been interested in the telecom industry: how we started with Bell Labs and ended up to today. I have heard of the "Cable Cowboy" book, but I never got around to reading it. I knew John Malone's nickname as the creator of "EBITDA" (not Darth Vader), and I had seen a few interviews with him, but nothing more.
This book basically gives a rundown of the entire history of cable from one of the most influential people in the space.
As someone who was born mostly in the internet age, I did not realize the transformation of this industry over time until I read this book. This book has given me a greater understanding of the dynamics playing out today between carriage rate fights, exorbitant sports TV deals, and regulation.
Besides history, John Malone gives great life advice in this book, and is someone I look up to. My first takeaway is that your children are only young once. Spend time with them. Secondly, patience is key in life and especially in business. There are a few times in a lifetime when an opportunity presents itself so good that you need to commit. Thirdly, once you have enough, diversify.
Firstly, I would like to say I have always been interested in the telecom industry: how we started with Bell Labs and ended up to today. I have heard of the "Cable Cowboy" book, but I never got around to reading it. I knew John Malone's nickname as the creator of "EBITDA" (not Darth Vader), and I had seen a few interviews with him, but nothing more.
This book basically gives a rundown of the entire history of cable from one of the most influential people in the space.
As someone who was born mostly in the internet age, I did not realize the transformation of this industry over time until I read this book. This book has given me a greater understanding of the dynamics playing out today between carriage rate fights, exorbitant sports TV deals, and regulation.
Besides history, John Malone gives great life advice in this book, and is someone I look up to. My first takeaway is that your children are only young once. Spend time with them. Secondly, patience is key in life and especially in business. There are a few times in a lifetime when an opportunity presents itself so good that you need to commit. Thirdly, once you have enough, diversify.
September 23, 2025
i learned that i’m just not interested in business
September 22, 2025
This is a straightforward personal and business memoir by a man many say has been the smartest and most influential media technology executive of our time. His rise, his business decisions, his expertise as an engineer, financial architect, and visionary are highly consequential, because Malone and his contemporaries and partners largely built the broadband infrastructure of the internet after/while revolutionizing the cable television industry.
While he invested in (and sometimes saved) notable enterprises created by even more well known figures -- colorfully and tellingly described along the way -- Malone's perspective wasn't about deep dives into the entertainment content business. His vision is of the big picture, medium over message, so he'll open your eyes to the processes and surprising characteristics of technological change. Why is disruptive technology to be anticipated and never ignored? Why should every planned business combination first ask "What if not?" Why do overly large older companies inevitably fail to adapt to change? Why do regulators so often make mistakes which slow progress, then on rare occasions show great wisdom in getting out of the way? Why is it wise to get out completely and not retain a seat on the board after sacrificing power in a merger?
This is not one of those books of excuses and chest-thumping which some executives write. John Malone is a strong believer in learning from every mistake, and he owns up to some big ones. More often his successes are modestly described, but the impact is there to see. His investors, especially the long term ones, thrive. Check out the before and after number on Malone's involvement with Sirius radio. His peers are sometimes rivals, but often friendly ones who learn to work with him. Always open to new ideas, when approached with a good one he was quick to write a very large check and put the new channel on his cable systems.
That's how Bob Johnson, a former activist for more TV programming serving the black audience, became a billionaire with BET, the first among what some have said was the largest concentration of black multimillionaires around. It's how a former schoolteacher named John Hendricks started the Discovery group of channels built around nature, learning, and other documentaries. John Malone's support is why Ted Turner's networks survived long enough to cover the Gulf War and revive interest in classic movies. Perhaps most signficantly Dr. (Ph.D.) Malone created Cable Labs, a collaboration of the cable industry which pioneered channel compression and broadband delivery of data and telephony. Dr. Dick Green who ran that particular think-and-do tank was a rocket scientist brilliant, modest, and enthusiastic proponent of the historic tech advances made by the cable industry. What was offered and chosen on all those channels and bandwidth is an entirely separate question. Turns out it was many more than the 500 channels Dr. Malone promised, but choosing which to watch is really more our responsibility than his.
Who should read this book?
Students of media, or any student of business expansion.
Anyone slow to see how businesses create social benefit.
Financial professionals, especially in the area of mergers and acquisitions.
Shareholders and investors curious about tax avoidance, stock swaps, and tracking stocks.
Ranchers, cowboys, and "Yellowstone" viewers.
Anyone interested in "The Art of the Deal" (although its author isn't mentioned.)
Racing fans, including horses and Formula One.
Conservationists and all who appreciate fresh air and open spaces.
Anyone who remembers when there were only 3 TV networks, and wonder what happened.
Calvinists, libertarians, and people who miss "the old CNN."
Investors in and listeners to Sirius satellite radio like Warren Buffet, whose excellent musical taste is mentioned, and is likewise endorsed by this reviewer and his wife.
There are affectionate remembrance of partnerships and friendships with the likes of Rupert Murdoch, Barry Diller, and Ted Turner, despite the occasional drawn swords in business.
Near the end of the book comes Malone's devastating and surprising commentary on the rise of video streaming and big tech's domination of content, concluding with some thoughts on the need for privacy protection and other (gasp!) necessary regulatory action. So Facebook, Google, Netflix, Apple and Amazon aren't ignored. A detailed report on the rise of Netflix is included even though Malone was never yet able to make a deal with them himself.
The internationalization of John Malone's owned business interests after letting go of his original role in the dominant U.S. cable multiple system operator is another amazing growth story. Central to that story is executive Mike Fries, one of the great hires Malone notes in telling his story. Apparently early on Mr. Fries and an associate went on a tour of Eastern Europe by car, convincing former Soviet satellite countries to give free market capitalism a shot when it came to building their broadband and mobile infrastructure. If you're in the television industry perhaps you remember Mr. Fries' father Chuck Fries, a prolific producer of made-for-television movies back in the day.
Industry folks might also take note of Malone's business partnerships with Barry Diller, also chronicled in Diller's own recent book, "Who Knew." Funny thing is, I learned more about Diller's own multibillion dollar businesses from Malone's version. The book is really very strong on business history overall, from the early days of the "cable cowboys" climbing poles to string cables on telephone polls in Wyoming or wherever, right on through the fight to finally rid the U.S. industry of so-called "Net Neutrality", a euphemism for broadband pricing regs which favor massive users of bandwidth over the companies which actually built out the commercial internet in the first place.
Yes, there are a couple of (no sleeping, class) regulatory issues discussed. A pernicious requirement called "retransmission consent" forced cable operators to pay fees to broadcasters using the public airwaves, along with an accompanying policy called "must carry" which says the cable company companies couldn't walk away from the negotiating table and "not carry."
On the far less esoteric personal side, one of the most appealing aspects of this book is John Malone's personal side. He's got strong personal values, certainly believes in hard work, merit, and free enterprise, and may have gotten out of his dominant seat in the TCI boardroom in part to prevent work responsibilties from taking too much time from his marriage and family life.
The son of an engineer and backyard workshop tinkerer who labored in the daunting General Electric corporation, Malone was a math wiz early on, a Bell Labs recruit, and well schooled at Hopkins School, Yale and Johns Hopkins. (Those places now benefit in not insignificant ways from his philanthropy, which is big in education, responsible environmentalism, and more.)
Dr. Malone claims to have a mild, high functioning spot on the autism spectrum, and unlike the aforementioned Mr. Diller, was never much of a party animal. But for someone who shies away from the press and cocktail parties alike, John Malone has a remarkable instinct for friendly business relationships. Over and over his mergers and investment positions come not as a corporate raider but the opposite, a kind of White Knight to old friends from the early struggling days of cable, or talented partners met along the way.
Some may believe that cable TV was always an easy sell, from the remote classic systems where the locals couldn't get TV without it, through the years of channel capacity expansion gifting America alternatives to the broadcast "vast wasteland" of the (FCC Commissioner) Newton Minow era. Truth is there were very hard times too, like the 1970's when 12% interest rates threatened to close down operators dependent on loans to meet payroll. Debt is a recurring theme, and assumption of debt plays a key role in the many of the deals.
Readers who expect a personal profile of Malone's fellow media business superstars won't be disappointed. The reading on Ted Turner is particularly affectionate. Rupert Murdoch comes off in much more depth than his media portrayals, and the issue of succession planning and generational torch-passing is touched upon. Brian Roberts of Comcast (and his father, company founder Ralph) have recurring roles. Mr. Diller comes in for praise. David Zaslov gets his endorsement running WBD. [The results? TBD.] Bill Gates appears. Gerry Levin blunders on a colossal scale. (BTW, don't go by all the surname pronounciations of the audiobook reader.)
There are a couple of subjects which I'd like to learn more about. The Atlanta Braves get only a summary of the most recent turns of events, even though they're in the subtitle of the book. The impact of sports channel carriage in the bundle, and broadcast rights fees on athlete salaries is discussed separately, but as a mid-market team investor what does he think about salary caps? All we get on the Braves is Terry McGuirk (a longtime Turner hire who does a great job) is running that, and they built a new stadium complex and won in 2021. I think that Malone's interest is out of loyalty to Ted, whose assets he seems to have an almost paternal instinct to protect following the Time Warner and AOL twin debacles.
Malone also raises the topic of "fair and balanced" news coverage, but in the context of CNN instead of trademark owner Fox. Maybe it was, once. But I don't see how John Malone has the time to watch much CNN, what with his wife's castle in Ireland, the traffic outside Denver, the horses, the race car businesss (which gets a long chapter) plus all the philanthropy, saving the great outdoors, etc. Did I mention he's the #2 land acreage owner in the USA? But no apartment buildings or shopping malls, just four-legged occupancy, bless his heart. One of the good guys in terms of stewardship, plus some innovative ideas on sustainable agriculture. Anyway, when whatever happens next with Warner Bros Discovery, and maybe after Ted's gone, it would be a really good idea if Dr. Malone would see to it that actual fair and balanced news coverage, straight down the middle, returned to CNN. Maybe deep staff changes, or a merger with NewsNation/Nexstar? And of course an asset swap or tracking stock to limit tax liability, right?
Anyway, a great book for serious business students and guys like me, a Spectrum-subscribing, Sirius-listening Braves fan and former media professor. "Born to Be Wired" is also a good present for that capitalism-skeptic with an environmental conscience on your Christmas list.
While he invested in (and sometimes saved) notable enterprises created by even more well known figures -- colorfully and tellingly described along the way -- Malone's perspective wasn't about deep dives into the entertainment content business. His vision is of the big picture, medium over message, so he'll open your eyes to the processes and surprising characteristics of technological change. Why is disruptive technology to be anticipated and never ignored? Why should every planned business combination first ask "What if not?" Why do overly large older companies inevitably fail to adapt to change? Why do regulators so often make mistakes which slow progress, then on rare occasions show great wisdom in getting out of the way? Why is it wise to get out completely and not retain a seat on the board after sacrificing power in a merger?
This is not one of those books of excuses and chest-thumping which some executives write. John Malone is a strong believer in learning from every mistake, and he owns up to some big ones. More often his successes are modestly described, but the impact is there to see. His investors, especially the long term ones, thrive. Check out the before and after number on Malone's involvement with Sirius radio. His peers are sometimes rivals, but often friendly ones who learn to work with him. Always open to new ideas, when approached with a good one he was quick to write a very large check and put the new channel on his cable systems.
That's how Bob Johnson, a former activist for more TV programming serving the black audience, became a billionaire with BET, the first among what some have said was the largest concentration of black multimillionaires around. It's how a former schoolteacher named John Hendricks started the Discovery group of channels built around nature, learning, and other documentaries. John Malone's support is why Ted Turner's networks survived long enough to cover the Gulf War and revive interest in classic movies. Perhaps most signficantly Dr. (Ph.D.) Malone created Cable Labs, a collaboration of the cable industry which pioneered channel compression and broadband delivery of data and telephony. Dr. Dick Green who ran that particular think-and-do tank was a rocket scientist brilliant, modest, and enthusiastic proponent of the historic tech advances made by the cable industry. What was offered and chosen on all those channels and bandwidth is an entirely separate question. Turns out it was many more than the 500 channels Dr. Malone promised, but choosing which to watch is really more our responsibility than his.
Who should read this book?
Students of media, or any student of business expansion.
Anyone slow to see how businesses create social benefit.
Financial professionals, especially in the area of mergers and acquisitions.
Shareholders and investors curious about tax avoidance, stock swaps, and tracking stocks.
Ranchers, cowboys, and "Yellowstone" viewers.
Anyone interested in "The Art of the Deal" (although its author isn't mentioned.)
Racing fans, including horses and Formula One.
Conservationists and all who appreciate fresh air and open spaces.
Anyone who remembers when there were only 3 TV networks, and wonder what happened.
Calvinists, libertarians, and people who miss "the old CNN."
Investors in and listeners to Sirius satellite radio like Warren Buffet, whose excellent musical taste is mentioned, and is likewise endorsed by this reviewer and his wife.
There are affectionate remembrance of partnerships and friendships with the likes of Rupert Murdoch, Barry Diller, and Ted Turner, despite the occasional drawn swords in business.
Near the end of the book comes Malone's devastating and surprising commentary on the rise of video streaming and big tech's domination of content, concluding with some thoughts on the need for privacy protection and other (gasp!) necessary regulatory action. So Facebook, Google, Netflix, Apple and Amazon aren't ignored. A detailed report on the rise of Netflix is included even though Malone was never yet able to make a deal with them himself.
The internationalization of John Malone's owned business interests after letting go of his original role in the dominant U.S. cable multiple system operator is another amazing growth story. Central to that story is executive Mike Fries, one of the great hires Malone notes in telling his story. Apparently early on Mr. Fries and an associate went on a tour of Eastern Europe by car, convincing former Soviet satellite countries to give free market capitalism a shot when it came to building their broadband and mobile infrastructure. If you're in the television industry perhaps you remember Mr. Fries' father Chuck Fries, a prolific producer of made-for-television movies back in the day.
Industry folks might also take note of Malone's business partnerships with Barry Diller, also chronicled in Diller's own recent book, "Who Knew." Funny thing is, I learned more about Diller's own multibillion dollar businesses from Malone's version. The book is really very strong on business history overall, from the early days of the "cable cowboys" climbing poles to string cables on telephone polls in Wyoming or wherever, right on through the fight to finally rid the U.S. industry of so-called "Net Neutrality", a euphemism for broadband pricing regs which favor massive users of bandwidth over the companies which actually built out the commercial internet in the first place.
Yes, there are a couple of (no sleeping, class) regulatory issues discussed. A pernicious requirement called "retransmission consent" forced cable operators to pay fees to broadcasters using the public airwaves, along with an accompanying policy called "must carry" which says the cable company companies couldn't walk away from the negotiating table and "not carry."
On the far less esoteric personal side, one of the most appealing aspects of this book is John Malone's personal side. He's got strong personal values, certainly believes in hard work, merit, and free enterprise, and may have gotten out of his dominant seat in the TCI boardroom in part to prevent work responsibilties from taking too much time from his marriage and family life.
The son of an engineer and backyard workshop tinkerer who labored in the daunting General Electric corporation, Malone was a math wiz early on, a Bell Labs recruit, and well schooled at Hopkins School, Yale and Johns Hopkins. (Those places now benefit in not insignificant ways from his philanthropy, which is big in education, responsible environmentalism, and more.)
Dr. Malone claims to have a mild, high functioning spot on the autism spectrum, and unlike the aforementioned Mr. Diller, was never much of a party animal. But for someone who shies away from the press and cocktail parties alike, John Malone has a remarkable instinct for friendly business relationships. Over and over his mergers and investment positions come not as a corporate raider but the opposite, a kind of White Knight to old friends from the early struggling days of cable, or talented partners met along the way.
Some may believe that cable TV was always an easy sell, from the remote classic systems where the locals couldn't get TV without it, through the years of channel capacity expansion gifting America alternatives to the broadcast "vast wasteland" of the (FCC Commissioner) Newton Minow era. Truth is there were very hard times too, like the 1970's when 12% interest rates threatened to close down operators dependent on loans to meet payroll. Debt is a recurring theme, and assumption of debt plays a key role in the many of the deals.
Readers who expect a personal profile of Malone's fellow media business superstars won't be disappointed. The reading on Ted Turner is particularly affectionate. Rupert Murdoch comes off in much more depth than his media portrayals, and the issue of succession planning and generational torch-passing is touched upon. Brian Roberts of Comcast (and his father, company founder Ralph) have recurring roles. Mr. Diller comes in for praise. David Zaslov gets his endorsement running WBD. [The results? TBD.] Bill Gates appears. Gerry Levin blunders on a colossal scale. (BTW, don't go by all the surname pronounciations of the audiobook reader.)
There are a couple of subjects which I'd like to learn more about. The Atlanta Braves get only a summary of the most recent turns of events, even though they're in the subtitle of the book. The impact of sports channel carriage in the bundle, and broadcast rights fees on athlete salaries is discussed separately, but as a mid-market team investor what does he think about salary caps? All we get on the Braves is Terry McGuirk (a longtime Turner hire who does a great job) is running that, and they built a new stadium complex and won in 2021. I think that Malone's interest is out of loyalty to Ted, whose assets he seems to have an almost paternal instinct to protect following the Time Warner and AOL twin debacles.
Malone also raises the topic of "fair and balanced" news coverage, but in the context of CNN instead of trademark owner Fox. Maybe it was, once. But I don't see how John Malone has the time to watch much CNN, what with his wife's castle in Ireland, the traffic outside Denver, the horses, the race car businesss (which gets a long chapter) plus all the philanthropy, saving the great outdoors, etc. Did I mention he's the #2 land acreage owner in the USA? But no apartment buildings or shopping malls, just four-legged occupancy, bless his heart. One of the good guys in terms of stewardship, plus some innovative ideas on sustainable agriculture. Anyway, when whatever happens next with Warner Bros Discovery, and maybe after Ted's gone, it would be a really good idea if Dr. Malone would see to it that actual fair and balanced news coverage, straight down the middle, returned to CNN. Maybe deep staff changes, or a merger with NewsNation/Nexstar? And of course an asset swap or tracking stock to limit tax liability, right?
Anyway, a great book for serious business students and guys like me, a Spectrum-subscribing, Sirius-listening Braves fan and former media professor. "Born to Be Wired" is also a good present for that capitalism-skeptic with an environmental conscience on your Christmas list.
Want to read
September 5, 2025'John Malone reflects on his empire' -FT 5 Sep 2025
https://www.ft.com/content/91a5c182-3...
'John Malone held talks with Rupert Murdoch over Warner Bros-Fox merger' -FT 30 Aug 2025
https://www.ft.com/content/3a32fdcb-1...
https://www.ft.com/content/91a5c182-3...
'John Malone held talks with Rupert Murdoch over Warner Bros-Fox merger' -FT 30 Aug 2025
https://www.ft.com/content/3a32fdcb-1...
October 1, 2025
Key Insights from Born to Be Wired
1. Malone’s Core Playbook: Own the Infrastructure, Then Consolidate
• Malone’s career was about rolling up cable systems and building massive scale.
• Insight: In networks, whoever controls the bottleneck (pipes, distribution, access) captures long-term value.
• He pushed horizontal consolidation (merging cable systems) to lower costs and increase leverage, and vertical integration (content + distribution) to capture margins and defend against supplier power.
2. Leverage: Use Debt as a Strategic Weapon
• Malone was famous for “balance sheet engineering” — loading companies with debt to juice returns, delay taxes, and force discipline.
• Insight: In fast-changing industries, control cash flow, not accounting profits. Debt + consolidation buys you time to outlast competitors.
3. Regulation: A Constant Enemy, But Also a Moat
• He hated regulation when it capped cable rates, but he also understood that complexity and regulation could protect incumbents.
• Insight: If you’re big, regulation becomes a barrier to new entrants. If you’re small, regulation is a constraint.
4. The Bandwidth Explosion: Internet = Cable 2.0
• By the 2000s, Malone was already saying cable TV would decline, but broadband would be the replacement growth engine.
• Insight: The profit pool shifts from content (TV subscriptions) to distribution of content (internet access).
• Net neutrality debates stem from this — should operators be “just pipes” or extract tolls from high-traffic services?
5. Content Economics: Sports as Irreplaceable
• Live sports are “must-have” content: time-sensitive, communal, and immune to piracy in ways films/TV aren’t.
• Insight: In a fragmented landscape, content that commands real-time audience attention becomes disproportionately valuable.
6. Scale and Globalization: Future Belongs to Giants
• Malone foresaw global players combining distribution + content + tech.
• Insight: National media silos would give way to multinational giants — foreshadowing Disney, Comcast, Amazon, Netflix. A lot of the reason for these new competitors stemmed from the innovators dilemma of the national media players not willing to give up their profit pools.
Some thoughts for my business
Bet on Scarcity Content
• For Malone, sports were “must-have.”
• In UGC: “must-have” might be genres that drive time-sensitive engagement (live events, social hubs, competitive formats).
• Framework Question: Does this content/game tap into irreplaceable social behavior (like Brookhaven RP, or sports sims) or is it easily cloned?
When evaluating a deal, run Malone’s playbook as a checklist:
• Pipes vs. Programming: Am I investing in the infrastructure, or the content? Where is the profit pool
• Scale: Does this scale bargaining power or is it atomized?
• Profit Pool Shift: Am I chasing yesterday’s margin or tomorrow’s?
• Rules as Moats: Are the “regulators” (platform policies) a risk or an advantage?
• Scarcity Content: Is this truly irreplaceable or can it be cloned?
• Consolidation Path: Is this a standalone, or does it obviously slot into a bigger roll-up?
Malone’s Final Question:
• “If this doesn’t work, what’s the single biggest reason? And do I believe we can survive or hedge against that?”
1. Malone’s Core Playbook: Own the Infrastructure, Then Consolidate
• Malone’s career was about rolling up cable systems and building massive scale.
• Insight: In networks, whoever controls the bottleneck (pipes, distribution, access) captures long-term value.
• He pushed horizontal consolidation (merging cable systems) to lower costs and increase leverage, and vertical integration (content + distribution) to capture margins and defend against supplier power.
2. Leverage: Use Debt as a Strategic Weapon
• Malone was famous for “balance sheet engineering” — loading companies with debt to juice returns, delay taxes, and force discipline.
• Insight: In fast-changing industries, control cash flow, not accounting profits. Debt + consolidation buys you time to outlast competitors.
3. Regulation: A Constant Enemy, But Also a Moat
• He hated regulation when it capped cable rates, but he also understood that complexity and regulation could protect incumbents.
• Insight: If you’re big, regulation becomes a barrier to new entrants. If you’re small, regulation is a constraint.
4. The Bandwidth Explosion: Internet = Cable 2.0
• By the 2000s, Malone was already saying cable TV would decline, but broadband would be the replacement growth engine.
• Insight: The profit pool shifts from content (TV subscriptions) to distribution of content (internet access).
• Net neutrality debates stem from this — should operators be “just pipes” or extract tolls from high-traffic services?
5. Content Economics: Sports as Irreplaceable
• Live sports are “must-have” content: time-sensitive, communal, and immune to piracy in ways films/TV aren’t.
• Insight: In a fragmented landscape, content that commands real-time audience attention becomes disproportionately valuable.
6. Scale and Globalization: Future Belongs to Giants
• Malone foresaw global players combining distribution + content + tech.
• Insight: National media silos would give way to multinational giants — foreshadowing Disney, Comcast, Amazon, Netflix. A lot of the reason for these new competitors stemmed from the innovators dilemma of the national media players not willing to give up their profit pools.
Some thoughts for my business
Bet on Scarcity Content
• For Malone, sports were “must-have.”
• In UGC: “must-have” might be genres that drive time-sensitive engagement (live events, social hubs, competitive formats).
• Framework Question: Does this content/game tap into irreplaceable social behavior (like Brookhaven RP, or sports sims) or is it easily cloned?
When evaluating a deal, run Malone’s playbook as a checklist:
• Pipes vs. Programming: Am I investing in the infrastructure, or the content? Where is the profit pool
• Scale: Does this scale bargaining power or is it atomized?
• Profit Pool Shift: Am I chasing yesterday’s margin or tomorrow’s?
• Rules as Moats: Are the “regulators” (platform policies) a risk or an advantage?
• Scarcity Content: Is this truly irreplaceable or can it be cloned?
• Consolidation Path: Is this a standalone, or does it obviously slot into a bigger roll-up?
Malone’s Final Question:
• “If this doesn’t work, what’s the single biggest reason? And do I believe we can survive or hedge against that?”
December 9, 2025
Born to Be Wired: Lessons from a Lifetime Transforming Television, Wiring America for the Internet, and Growing Formula One, Discovery, Sirius XM, and the Atlanta Braves is an extraordinary and authoritative deep dive into the evolution of modern media, telecommunications, and entertainment told by the man who quietly engineered much of it. John Malone, long considered one of the most influential yet least public figures in the media landscape, delivers a rare firsthand account of how America went from rural cable strands to a fully wired digital nation.
What makes this book stand out immediately is its combination of technical clarity, strategic insight, and personal candor. Malone isn’t merely recounting corporate deals or business milestones; he’s mapping the intellectual architecture behind the systems that underpin modern life. From the birth of cable networks to the strategic thinking behind transformative mergers including those shaping Warner Bros. Discovery and Live Nation he provides a blueprint for understanding the structural logic of industries that today feel inevitable but were once unimaginable.
A particularly powerful thread in the book is Malone’s recounting of America’s technological evolution. He takes readers behind the scenes of how a simple copper cable became a high speed backbone that enabled entire digital empires Amazon, Google, Facebook to rise. His narrative does not romanticize disruption; instead, it honestly examines its consequences, trade-offs, and pressures.
Malone also offers rare insight into Liberty Media’s world Formula One, Sirius XM, the Atlanta Braves revealing how his distinctive systems driven thinking has yielded returns frequently compared to values-driven giants like Berkshire Hathaway. What distinguishes his approach is the blend of engineering precision with long range vision: he sees patterns where others see chaos, and he restructures companies with the quiet confidence of someone who understands the mechanics beneath the surface.
Beyond the business and technology achievements, this is a personal memoir. Malone traces his journey from a mechanically curious kid to a visionary strategist shaped by Bell Labs, rigorous mathematical training, and decades of orchestrating change across multiple industries. The book’s accessibility, combined with its intellectual depth, makes it essential reading for entrepreneurs, investors, executives, technologists, and anyone seeking to understand how today’s media ecosystem came into being.
It’s not just a memoir it’s a masterclass in strategic thinking, systems design, and the art of recognizing value where others see noise.
What makes this book stand out immediately is its combination of technical clarity, strategic insight, and personal candor. Malone isn’t merely recounting corporate deals or business milestones; he’s mapping the intellectual architecture behind the systems that underpin modern life. From the birth of cable networks to the strategic thinking behind transformative mergers including those shaping Warner Bros. Discovery and Live Nation he provides a blueprint for understanding the structural logic of industries that today feel inevitable but were once unimaginable.
A particularly powerful thread in the book is Malone’s recounting of America’s technological evolution. He takes readers behind the scenes of how a simple copper cable became a high speed backbone that enabled entire digital empires Amazon, Google, Facebook to rise. His narrative does not romanticize disruption; instead, it honestly examines its consequences, trade-offs, and pressures.
Malone also offers rare insight into Liberty Media’s world Formula One, Sirius XM, the Atlanta Braves revealing how his distinctive systems driven thinking has yielded returns frequently compared to values-driven giants like Berkshire Hathaway. What distinguishes his approach is the blend of engineering precision with long range vision: he sees patterns where others see chaos, and he restructures companies with the quiet confidence of someone who understands the mechanics beneath the surface.
Beyond the business and technology achievements, this is a personal memoir. Malone traces his journey from a mechanically curious kid to a visionary strategist shaped by Bell Labs, rigorous mathematical training, and decades of orchestrating change across multiple industries. The book’s accessibility, combined with its intellectual depth, makes it essential reading for entrepreneurs, investors, executives, technologists, and anyone seeking to understand how today’s media ecosystem came into being.
It’s not just a memoir it’s a masterclass in strategic thinking, systems design, and the art of recognizing value where others see noise.
October 17, 2025
I'd open with you need to be deeply interested in the background of the rise of cable to read this. But if you are, this book provides a thorough technical and business memoir of the rise of the cable industry, it's disruption of broadcast & cable's subsequent disruption by streaming. It's a business memoir, and though it starts personal - it's about business & technology and almost never delves back into personal life.
Some takeaways:
- A ton of high finance in this book, M&A, spin-offs, the strategic use of debt, economies of scale, the use of tracking stocks - some very interesting strategies (a lot involving the avoidance of taxes) all in the name of shareholder value.
- Love the point that Cord-Cutting is a misnomer. Users are cutting the channel package - but very much attached to the "cord", the broadband wire providing internet delivery. Cable operators still dominate the internet-access business.
- Following that, the concept of net neutrality is interesting in this light, that streaming essentially dodged the costs of being carried by the cable network packages, by streaming directly to consumers - where cable companies did not have the right to charge them based on bandwidth though at a time Netflix was 1/3 of total internet bandwidth. It's an interesting juxtaposition, upset with the regulatory oversight put on the cable industry & the lack of regulatory insight put onto the tech industry as it rose.
- Good breakdown of the dual revenue stream that hooked the Cable Networks & made them so ripe to be disrupted, and unaware that Netflix was not just another source of distribution/syndication of their content - it was eating them alive as they gave it content for short-term revenue hits & it added users.
Overall, I learned a ton of context around the media industry from this, the rise and fall of some of the biggest brands - the tie-in's with cable & telecom. Some of the bigger surprises to me where the sheer number of mergers that have happened. Over time, no one stays put. A solid read you likely need to be heavily interested in the industry to enjoy, but if you are - you will get something out of this.
Some takeaways:
- A ton of high finance in this book, M&A, spin-offs, the strategic use of debt, economies of scale, the use of tracking stocks - some very interesting strategies (a lot involving the avoidance of taxes) all in the name of shareholder value.
- Love the point that Cord-Cutting is a misnomer. Users are cutting the channel package - but very much attached to the "cord", the broadband wire providing internet delivery. Cable operators still dominate the internet-access business.
- Following that, the concept of net neutrality is interesting in this light, that streaming essentially dodged the costs of being carried by the cable network packages, by streaming directly to consumers - where cable companies did not have the right to charge them based on bandwidth though at a time Netflix was 1/3 of total internet bandwidth. It's an interesting juxtaposition, upset with the regulatory oversight put on the cable industry & the lack of regulatory insight put onto the tech industry as it rose.
- Good breakdown of the dual revenue stream that hooked the Cable Networks & made them so ripe to be disrupted, and unaware that Netflix was not just another source of distribution/syndication of their content - it was eating them alive as they gave it content for short-term revenue hits & it added users.
Overall, I learned a ton of context around the media industry from this, the rise and fall of some of the biggest brands - the tie-in's with cable & telecom. Some of the bigger surprises to me where the sheer number of mergers that have happened. Over time, no one stays put. A solid read you likely need to be heavily interested in the industry to enjoy, but if you are - you will get something out of this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2025
This is the rare business memoir that reads like a field guide written by a very competent raccoon. Malone keeps rummaging through balance sheets, popping out with shiny bits: leverage, tax shields, tracking stocks—and before you can yell “No, those are for institutional investors!” he’s already built a cable empire, a satellite radio monopoly, an F1 renaissance, and a baseball team that makes money even when it loses. It’s impressive in the way a perfectly optimized spreadsheet is impressive: not pretty, but you keep zooming in because the formulas actually work.
The book is best when it’s concrete. Malone explains capital structure with the clinical calm of a surgeon describing a routine appendectomy, then shows you the scar tissue from thirty years of dealmaking. The chapters on F1 and SiriusXM are satisfying case studies in compounding cash flow and patient governance; you come away with a handful of simple, powerful rules of thumb (“free cash flow is oxygen; taxes are gravity; time arbitrage beats charisma”).
But the prose occasionally defaults to Annual Letter-ese, where verbs go to retire and nouns are monetized. The gnarlier edges: regulatory capture, antitrust dance steps, the consumer experience of being cheerfully bundled, are mostly handled with polite euphemism. I wanted more introspection and less victory-lap itinerary. When hard tradeoffs appear (jobs vs. efficiency, innovation vs. consolidation), the book tends to say “yes” and keep walking. Also, if you don’t already enjoy capital-stack Sudoku, a few sections will feel like homework assigned by a very rich TA.
Still, the signal-to-noise ratio is high. If you’re founder-curious, investor-adjacent, or simply interested in how American pipes (cable, satellites, racetracks, baseball franchises) got organized by a systems thinker with a calculator and a long horizon, this is worth your time. Three stars because it’s more masterclass than memoir, and I prefer my business books with a little more blood and a little less EBITDA but the masterclass is real.
The book is best when it’s concrete. Malone explains capital structure with the clinical calm of a surgeon describing a routine appendectomy, then shows you the scar tissue from thirty years of dealmaking. The chapters on F1 and SiriusXM are satisfying case studies in compounding cash flow and patient governance; you come away with a handful of simple, powerful rules of thumb (“free cash flow is oxygen; taxes are gravity; time arbitrage beats charisma”).
But the prose occasionally defaults to Annual Letter-ese, where verbs go to retire and nouns are monetized. The gnarlier edges: regulatory capture, antitrust dance steps, the consumer experience of being cheerfully bundled, are mostly handled with polite euphemism. I wanted more introspection and less victory-lap itinerary. When hard tradeoffs appear (jobs vs. efficiency, innovation vs. consolidation), the book tends to say “yes” and keep walking. Also, if you don’t already enjoy capital-stack Sudoku, a few sections will feel like homework assigned by a very rich TA.
Still, the signal-to-noise ratio is high. If you’re founder-curious, investor-adjacent, or simply interested in how American pipes (cable, satellites, racetracks, baseball franchises) got organized by a systems thinker with a calculator and a long horizon, this is worth your time. Three stars because it’s more masterclass than memoir, and I prefer my business books with a little more blood and a little less EBITDA but the masterclass is real.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2025
Born to Be Wired by John Malone is a fascinating study of a dealmaker who operated at a scale and level of complexity few executives have ever matched. The book highlights the sheer volume of transactions Malone orchestrated, many of them involving intricate asset swaps, spin-offs, and restructurings that required an exceptional command of finance, law, and strategy. Each deal is presented not as financial engineering for its own sake, but as a disciplined effort to maximize long-term shareholder returns. Malone’s mastery of tax efficiency stands out, showing how he consistently minimized tax exposure while remaining firmly within both the letter and spirit of the law. Equally important is the emphasis on governance and ethics, portraying a leader who valued fairness and propriety even while negotiating from positions of strength. The result is a portrait of a dealmaker whose legacy is defined not just by scale and profits, but by thoughtful, principled capital allocation.
October 20, 2025
I grew up when there were only three channels of television available. Somehow, we survived. Then along came cable TV.When I started reading this book, I was absolutely fascinated. It was so interesting to see how the cable industry started and then progressed forward. However, beginning about page 100, I began to bog down in all the detail. By page 200 I decided to throw in the towel. The number of complex deals discussed was absolutely incomprehensible. Therefore, only three stars. An aside: I enjoyed all the references to Ted Turner and his influence on cable TV. It seems like yesterday that CNN began operation, but it was really June 1, 1980.
September 26, 2025
everything is justifiable
I had known of Malone’s story first through Outliers and then with Cable Cowboys and Ted Turners biography (super recommend BTW).
This is a thorough account of his life, it is well told and engaging, shedding just a bit of new light.
My main take away though is that absolutely everything is justifiable, it just depends on what’s more convenient for you.
Second takeaway is that some people are just wired (pun intended) differently. This guy barely saw his family for decades. His interest is in deal making until he dies.
I had known of Malone’s story first through Outliers and then with Cable Cowboys and Ted Turners biography (super recommend BTW).
This is a thorough account of his life, it is well told and engaging, shedding just a bit of new light.
My main take away though is that absolutely everything is justifiable, it just depends on what’s more convenient for you.
Second takeaway is that some people are just wired (pun intended) differently. This guy barely saw his family for decades. His interest is in deal making until he dies.
November 9, 2025
John Malone is a business guru and has lead many iconic businesses primarily in the telecom sector. He shares how those businesses came together and what were the key decisions along the way. This book has a lot of key business ideas and shows the human side of business. At different points in his career, Malone was called Darth Vader, Robber Barron and more but the book shows that there is more nuance in business. Malone is brilliant and this book is must read for those interested in business.
September 13, 2025
Generally great with a few weak points but overall so much better than cable cowboy. A few strange aspects, like how he finishes certain sections by talking about how much he respects someone he brought up. Disrupts the flow of the story. But otherwise very good. Always interesting to read about his clashes/relationships with Diller, Gates, Ross, Maffei, Murdoch, Rutledge, and Ted Turner.
The last 3 chapters are not worth reading.
The last 3 chapters are not worth reading.
September 13, 2025
Fascinating biography of a pioneer of modern communication.
John Malone is not as well-known as many other major media figures, but he has been at the forefront of the expansion of cable and Internet and blending of technology, entertainment, and sports. His biography gives you an understanding of the dramatic changes that have happened since 1970s from a person who is there and who is the key figure at every step along the way.
John Malone is not as well-known as many other major media figures, but he has been at the forefront of the expansion of cable and Internet and blending of technology, entertainment, and sports. His biography gives you an understanding of the dramatic changes that have happened since 1970s from a person who is there and who is the key figure at every step along the way.
September 20, 2025
Terrific book about a business life well led!
This is perhaps the best business book I've read, and that includes many. Very well written, interesting and informative. Not only insights into the history of the cable industry, but a valuable primer on the current state of media delivery. Kudos to John Malone for telling a fascinating story in a very informative and interesting way.
This is perhaps the best business book I've read, and that includes many. Very well written, interesting and informative. Not only insights into the history of the cable industry, but a valuable primer on the current state of media delivery. Kudos to John Malone for telling a fascinating story in a very informative and interesting way.
September 14, 2025
Best ever
This book gives me hope for the future. I've lived in Montana since 1970 and followed Mr. Malone. I worked at KGHL Billings owned by George Hatch also a 9% owner of TCI. I've got my cable on right now sending this on broadband installed by Charter.
"Live long and prosper"
This book gives me hope for the future. I've lived in Montana since 1970 and followed Mr. Malone. I worked at KGHL Billings owned by George Hatch also a 9% owner of TCI. I've got my cable on right now sending this on broadband installed by Charter.
"Live long and prosper"
December 28, 2025
Follows the long arc of his career and personal life with nuance.
Great writing, concise and elaborate.
A great story about a guy who has seen it all in the cable, content and wireless domains.
Notes: what is passion for solving chaos?
Why do some people struggle with balancing work with life?
Remember that fanatics are super rare, and a lot of them burn out with debt or mistakes
Great writing, concise and elaborate.
A great story about a guy who has seen it all in the cable, content and wireless domains.
Notes: what is passion for solving chaos?
Why do some people struggle with balancing work with life?
Remember that fanatics are super rare, and a lot of them burn out with debt or mistakes
September 21, 2025
Such a good book
Combined medi and finance
The tax parts and tracker stocks suit US markets
Good follow on from cable cowboy bio , this is auto and has life lessons
The do profiles of other big names well like Diller, Murdoch, Turner
Combined medi and finance
The tax parts and tracker stocks suit US markets
Good follow on from cable cowboy bio , this is auto and has life lessons
The do profiles of other big names well like Diller, Murdoch, Turner
October 24, 2025
This book is a solid read for those looking to learn important business lessons from a luminary like John Malone. Readers can learn about many interesting stories along the way in reading about the history of the Malone business empire.
September 27, 2025
I enjoyed this one! Much more focused on John’s life vs Cable Cowboys, and very interesting to hear his views on current events.
October 8, 2025
What a most successful career
The in's & out's of the advent and growth of the cable TV industry over the las 50 years
Malone has done it all
The in's & out's of the advent and growth of the cable TV industry over the las 50 years
Malone has done it all
October 22, 2025
First chapter is 10/10
The rest will make you dizzy. Feels like the rough draft of an unpublished audiobook
The rest will make you dizzy. Feels like the rough draft of an unpublished audiobook
December 1, 2025
More entertaining, insightful and much clearer than Cable Cowboys
December 21, 2025
meh same old stories
October 12, 2025
Great book but I thought it could have gone a bit more into his thinking processes. He has done 100s of deals but I still believe there could have been a bit more meat and potatoes on dealmaking. This was a bit of a victory lap.
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