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Done: The Secret Deals that are Changing Our World
What if the way we understand our world is wrong? What if it isn't politicians and events that shape our lives, but secret deals made by people you've never heard of?
This book tells the story of the secret deals that are changing the world and revolutionizing everything we do, including money, the food we eat, what we buy, and the drugs we take to stay well. These deals never make the news: they are made high up in boardrooms, on golf courses, and in luxury cars: each sealed by world-changing handshakes. This is the story of those handshakes.
This book tells the story of the secret deals that are changing the world and revolutionizing everything we do, including money, the food we eat, what we buy, and the drugs we take to stay well. These deals never make the news: they are made high up in boardrooms, on golf courses, and in luxury cars: each sealed by world-changing handshakes. This is the story of those handshakes.
611 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
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August 31, 2017
55th book for 2017.
The book is composed of fifteen mostly unrelated chapters, each dealing with a particular economic/political issue. The book is constructed so that each event is explained by some surprising hidden set of decisions by a few people/companies.
Unfortunately, while the book makes some interesting observations, the explanations are often quite shallow and there is a sense that complex events are being reframed in a particularly contrived fashion to work within the breezy structure of the book. For instance, the impact of the iconic image of a single man standing in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square is put forward as THE reason China liberalized its economy. A meeting with two of the Paypal founders is THE cause that cash is being phased out internationally in favor of electronic payments. The Arab Spring is SOLELY caused by the actions of grain speculation by the big four food companies. Etc. Etc.
Overall I would give this 2.5 stars.
The book is composed of fifteen mostly unrelated chapters, each dealing with a particular economic/political issue. The book is constructed so that each event is explained by some surprising hidden set of decisions by a few people/companies.
Unfortunately, while the book makes some interesting observations, the explanations are often quite shallow and there is a sense that complex events are being reframed in a particularly contrived fashion to work within the breezy structure of the book. For instance, the impact of the iconic image of a single man standing in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square is put forward as THE reason China liberalized its economy. A meeting with two of the Paypal founders is THE cause that cash is being phased out internationally in favor of electronic payments. The Arab Spring is SOLELY caused by the actions of grain speculation by the big four food companies. Etc. Etc.
Overall I would give this 2.5 stars.
December 31, 2020
Am cumpărat cartea asta, scoasă la noi de Editura Litera, anul trecut. Îmi spusese de ea colegul Mihai Radu și o aveam pe lista pentru anul ăsta.
Paranteză: mulțumesc pentru toate mesajele în care îmi povestiți cum ați reușit să faceți loc cititului în viața voastră și ați transformat asta într-un obicei bun, într-o rutină care vă ajută să vă deschideți mintea și să vă folosiți propriul creier în luarea deciziilor, lăsându-vă cât mai puțin influențați de bulele voastre și de companiile care ne folosesc toate datele pentru a ne ține prizonierii lor și pentru a ne determina comportamentul și apetența pentru consum dement, cu orice preț.
.
Așadar, Înțelegerile care ne-au schimbat lumea. Abia zilele astea am pus mâna pe carte, am scos-o din țipla în care a fost livrată (nu putem scăpa de plasticul ăsta nenorocit, este peste tot) și m-am apucat să o citesc. N-am mai lăsat-o în weekendul ăsta decât pentru un episod din ”Queen’s Gambit”.
Cartea se poate citi în ce ordine vreți, sunt de fapt acolo 15 capitole diferite, dar le veți citi pe toate după ce-l veți parcurge pe primul. Prin felul în care pune problema, autorul te face să privești lucrurile diferit. Te vei uita altfel la bani, la multe dintre marile companii, la industrii întregi, cum ar fi cea alimentară sau cea farmaceutică, vei privi altfel puterea în general și tehnologia în special. Și din acest punct de vedere cartea reușește să te facă să-ți pui întrebări și oferă ceva informații utile, dar și întâmplări, unele dintre ele grave, altele doar amuzante, care fac lectura plăcută.
Doar că lipsește ceva, din cele mai multe dintre texte. O lecție pe care ajungi să o înveți după niște ani de citit temeinic: corelația și cauzalitatea nu trebuie confundate. Cu toate astea, cei mai mulți dintre autorii noi, din dorința de a vinde, amestecă deseori borcanele.
Cartea asta e construită pe calapodul conspirației. Și nu se susține în multe dintre locuri.
Din tot ce-am citit despre felul în care ne funcționează creierul, nevoia de a pune lucrurile cap la cap și de a găsi o logică chiar și acolo unde nu există ne caracterizează. Și cred că păcatul lui Peretti aici stă, în dorința de a ne livra ceea ce creierul nostru așteaptă, mai ales în perioada asta (chiar dacă cartea e scrisă înainte e pandemie), conspirații care să ne fac să spunem: ahaaa, știam eu! Știam eu că banii dispar pentru că s-a ajuns la concluzia, în urma unor studii, că dacă nu dai fizic bani pe ceva, creierul nu activează rețelele neuronale care altfel se aprind când înregistrezi o pierdere! Iar împletirea acestor legături de cauzalitate cu fapte certe, demonstrate, cum ar fi acela că a facilita accesul la credit este ca și cum i-ai da zahăr unui diabetic, e o încercare destul de ieftină de a vinde. Dar e un șablon adoptat în multe dintre cărțile devenite bestseller în ultimii ani. Și Harari face asta, în Sapiens și în Homo Deus, mulți o fac.
Asta așa, pentru a păstra distanța critică. Dar este o carte de citit. Și o voi face cadou la episodul de joi al podcastului Vocea nației.
Paranteză: mulțumesc pentru toate mesajele în care îmi povestiți cum ați reușit să faceți loc cititului în viața voastră și ați transformat asta într-un obicei bun, într-o rutină care vă ajută să vă deschideți mintea și să vă folosiți propriul creier în luarea deciziilor, lăsându-vă cât mai puțin influențați de bulele voastre și de companiile care ne folosesc toate datele pentru a ne ține prizonierii lor și pentru a ne determina comportamentul și apetența pentru consum dement, cu orice preț.
.
Așadar, Înțelegerile care ne-au schimbat lumea. Abia zilele astea am pus mâna pe carte, am scos-o din țipla în care a fost livrată (nu putem scăpa de plasticul ăsta nenorocit, este peste tot) și m-am apucat să o citesc. N-am mai lăsat-o în weekendul ăsta decât pentru un episod din ”Queen’s Gambit”.
Cartea se poate citi în ce ordine vreți, sunt de fapt acolo 15 capitole diferite, dar le veți citi pe toate după ce-l veți parcurge pe primul. Prin felul în care pune problema, autorul te face să privești lucrurile diferit. Te vei uita altfel la bani, la multe dintre marile companii, la industrii întregi, cum ar fi cea alimentară sau cea farmaceutică, vei privi altfel puterea în general și tehnologia în special. Și din acest punct de vedere cartea reușește să te facă să-ți pui întrebări și oferă ceva informații utile, dar și întâmplări, unele dintre ele grave, altele doar amuzante, care fac lectura plăcută.
Doar că lipsește ceva, din cele mai multe dintre texte. O lecție pe care ajungi să o înveți după niște ani de citit temeinic: corelația și cauzalitatea nu trebuie confundate. Cu toate astea, cei mai mulți dintre autorii noi, din dorința de a vinde, amestecă deseori borcanele.
Cartea asta e construită pe calapodul conspirației. Și nu se susține în multe dintre locuri.
Din tot ce-am citit despre felul în care ne funcționează creierul, nevoia de a pune lucrurile cap la cap și de a găsi o logică chiar și acolo unde nu există ne caracterizează. Și cred că păcatul lui Peretti aici stă, în dorința de a ne livra ceea ce creierul nostru așteaptă, mai ales în perioada asta (chiar dacă cartea e scrisă înainte e pandemie), conspirații care să ne fac să spunem: ahaaa, știam eu! Știam eu că banii dispar pentru că s-a ajuns la concluzia, în urma unor studii, că dacă nu dai fizic bani pe ceva, creierul nu activează rețelele neuronale care altfel se aprind când înregistrezi o pierdere! Iar împletirea acestor legături de cauzalitate cu fapte certe, demonstrate, cum ar fi acela că a facilita accesul la credit este ca și cum i-ai da zahăr unui diabetic, e o încercare destul de ieftină de a vinde. Dar e un șablon adoptat în multe dintre cărțile devenite bestseller în ultimii ani. Și Harari face asta, în Sapiens și în Homo Deus, mulți o fac.
Asta așa, pentru a păstra distanța critică. Dar este o carte de citit. Și o voi face cadou la episodul de joi al podcastului Vocea nației.
July 12, 2022
Cred că este cea mai complexă carte pe care am citit-o vreodată. Autorul abordează subiecte despre care știam oarecum câteva lucruri, dar nu mi-aș fi imaginat că ne influențează și controlează viața la un asemenea nivel. Mă voi rezuma totuși la scurta descriere care apare și pe copertă: “Genial… vei dori să iei notițe.” Exact așa e!
February 13, 2020
Wonderful book very necessary and I hope that the things are as they are claimed by the author but the scenarios and the proof do make sense. This is this is truly eye-opening book. Review will be expanded later.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
August 29, 2017
This book will change the way you see the world and events occuring around you. Everything is planned , every move , every reaction analysed to predict our next moves and alter the course of the world accordingly. The author has done a fantastic job of explaining facts in a simple and easy manner. Although it's a non fiction book it is very engrossing and engaging.
January 6, 2022
3/5 for the first 3 chapters of the book that was actually interesting. It honestly starts off great, the Phoebus Cartel, BMI rigging, and over-medicalisation are genuinely interesting topics I had kind of heard about before but the book does a great job of explaining how each of these concepts came to be and the corporations and people responsible.
Yet, those were also the only 3 good chapters. That is not to say the rest of the book isn't informative -- sure I learnt a lot, but Peretti tries to tie together all kinds of disparate events in an attempt to draw some "big picture" connection that uncovers some form of conspiracy (given the sub-title on the front cover I think he is really going for the conspiratorial vibe), although the links he draws are largely tenuous. Most fascinating I think is his claim that the Black-Scholes option pricing model is primarily what drove the OPEC oil embargo in the yom kippur war -- what??
To be fair, he does bring up several interesting stories about business and etc., I think he would have been better off just recounting them as distinct, separate stories, which just happen to change the world in a similar way, rather than draw spurious connections. And in his defense, he did seem to do interviews with many significant characters, and his transcripts are presented in a very personal and engaging manner.
tldr you can read it for just the general knowledge
Yet, those were also the only 3 good chapters. That is not to say the rest of the book isn't informative -- sure I learnt a lot, but Peretti tries to tie together all kinds of disparate events in an attempt to draw some "big picture" connection that uncovers some form of conspiracy (given the sub-title on the front cover I think he is really going for the conspiratorial vibe), although the links he draws are largely tenuous. Most fascinating I think is his claim that the Black-Scholes option pricing model is primarily what drove the OPEC oil embargo in the yom kippur war -- what??
To be fair, he does bring up several interesting stories about business and etc., I think he would have been better off just recounting them as distinct, separate stories, which just happen to change the world in a similar way, rather than draw spurious connections. And in his defense, he did seem to do interviews with many significant characters, and his transcripts are presented in a very personal and engaging manner.
tldr you can read it for just the general knowledge
February 2, 2018
A brilliant piece of journalism - Jacques Peretti has researched the many complex issues that are facing society today and distilled them into crystal clear prose that even a dunce like me can understand. From how robotics and AI will affect the labour market, to the machinations of the big tech companies, from the skulduggery of the food industries and the efforts of the pharmaceutical industry to make us all drug dependent, his narrative moves effortlessly and lucidly, lighting up the dark corners that most of us don’t even know exist. I can only gasp in admiration at the amount of hard work, travel, interviews and research that will have gone into producing this book and congratulate Mr Peretti sincerely on the result. If you have any interest at all in what is going on around you, read this book. It will annoy and astound you, surprise and depress you but in the end, I can say honestly that it left me with a feeling of optimism. The human race is resilient and inventive and not as easy to manipulate or control as some would have you believe.
May 23, 2018
While the book doesn’t go into too much detail and could be easily accused of skimming the surface, the author has what I feel is the appropriate light touch for a popular audience. He builds an interesting set of surprising case studies while making them accessible, drew out many useful insights, and managed to challenge cherished assumptions. I very much appreciated that it steered clear of fortune-telling and doomsday predictions, which is all too common in this genre. A light TED Talk-style read, which perhaps can be forgiven for a potentially over-ambitious title, but well worth the read.
January 8, 2019
Enjoyed the myriad of examples and companies described in this book, but my eyes glazed over several pages here and there because the ideas were not very cohesive. Overall I’d recommend but there are better economics books out there
May 9, 2020
I started out listening to this book with no prior knowledge of the author or his political or economic leanings and I had a totally open mind. As I went through the book I found myself wishing I could stop the reader and ask, "how do you draw that conclusion?" Over and over again I found myself wanting an explanation of his claims that, to me, sounded counterintuitive.
In the end, I didn't want to finish the book because I felt like the author had a very limited understanding of the subject matter. The book is a series of "just-so" stories with frustratingly little to back them up.
One day, long after I had left this book behind, I came back to Ch. 3 on taxes because I saw an explanation of the Laffer curve and I remembered this book addressed it . Listening again to Ch. 3, I am convinced Peretti dismisses it out of hand without knowing what it is. Of course, he thinks he does but his explanation of it in the book is completely inaccurate.
Peretti tells us the result of Laffer joining the Reagan administration was the following.
“Tax havens were no longer a shady off-shore secret but a shining beacon of what could be done cleverly with money; a duty to be part of, not a crime to be covered up.”
Say what!? He offers no basis for this preposterous claim. The whole point of the Laffer curve is that there is a point at which higher taxes brings in less revenue because people are increasingly incentivized to avoid taxes. The wealthy, the people from whom we derive the majority of our income tax revenue, only have a reason to seek “tax havens” if they feel the taxes are onerous. They will go to greater lengths to avoid taxes the higher the tax rate is and at some point, tax revenue goes down as the tax rate goes up.
Then he describes his current day interview with Arthur Laffer. According to peretti’s telling, Laffer starts to explain the Laffer curve by drawing it on a napkin and Peretti cuts him off and says,
“That’s great Arthur but what I want to know is, how did you get away with it?”
“What do you mean how I got away with it? Because it’s true!”
“But it isn’t. As a result of the low tax doctrine, didn’t business move off shore? Manufacturing collapsed in the U.S. and half the population became disenfranchised.”
How does he draw this conclusion!? I’m thinking, maybe he’s right but it sure doesn’t sound right and he doesn’t give any statistics or explanation to back it up. I’m thinking, how does lower taxes drive businesses off shore, collapse manufacturing, and disenfranchise half of all Americans? Peretti offers no basis for these claims. Unsurprisingly, Laffer pushes back.
“No, no! This is so wrong, so wrong! We were proved right. Rich people are different from other people. The rich are the one group of people where when you lower their tax rate you get more revenue. Taxing the rich is what makes society poorer. If you tax rich people and give the money to the poor, you’re gonna get lots and lots of poor people and no rich people. The dream is always to make the poor rich, not the rich poor.”
“Laffer believes in his curve and he’s made everyone in government believe in it too.
The thing is, everyone believes in the Laffer curve, right and left. They disagree about its shape but they all “believe” in it. Peretti believes it is nothing more than a “doodle on a napkin”.
I certainly would not recommend this book. Sadly, there are a lot of intelligent people out there who think writers like Peretti are exposing uncomfortable truths. To me, it came across more as poorly researched story-telling. Maybe he’s right about a lot of things in this book but he sure isn’t gonna try to persuade anyone that his counterintuitive claims actually make sense when you examine them.
In the end, I didn't want to finish the book because I felt like the author had a very limited understanding of the subject matter. The book is a series of "just-so" stories with frustratingly little to back them up.
One day, long after I had left this book behind, I came back to Ch. 3 on taxes because I saw an explanation of the Laffer curve and I remembered this book addressed it . Listening again to Ch. 3, I am convinced Peretti dismisses it out of hand without knowing what it is. Of course, he thinks he does but his explanation of it in the book is completely inaccurate.
Peretti tells us the result of Laffer joining the Reagan administration was the following.
“Tax havens were no longer a shady off-shore secret but a shining beacon of what could be done cleverly with money; a duty to be part of, not a crime to be covered up.”
Say what!? He offers no basis for this preposterous claim. The whole point of the Laffer curve is that there is a point at which higher taxes brings in less revenue because people are increasingly incentivized to avoid taxes. The wealthy, the people from whom we derive the majority of our income tax revenue, only have a reason to seek “tax havens” if they feel the taxes are onerous. They will go to greater lengths to avoid taxes the higher the tax rate is and at some point, tax revenue goes down as the tax rate goes up.
Then he describes his current day interview with Arthur Laffer. According to peretti’s telling, Laffer starts to explain the Laffer curve by drawing it on a napkin and Peretti cuts him off and says,
“That’s great Arthur but what I want to know is, how did you get away with it?”
“What do you mean how I got away with it? Because it’s true!”
“But it isn’t. As a result of the low tax doctrine, didn’t business move off shore? Manufacturing collapsed in the U.S. and half the population became disenfranchised.”
How does he draw this conclusion!? I’m thinking, maybe he’s right but it sure doesn’t sound right and he doesn’t give any statistics or explanation to back it up. I’m thinking, how does lower taxes drive businesses off shore, collapse manufacturing, and disenfranchise half of all Americans? Peretti offers no basis for these claims. Unsurprisingly, Laffer pushes back.
“No, no! This is so wrong, so wrong! We were proved right. Rich people are different from other people. The rich are the one group of people where when you lower their tax rate you get more revenue. Taxing the rich is what makes society poorer. If you tax rich people and give the money to the poor, you’re gonna get lots and lots of poor people and no rich people. The dream is always to make the poor rich, not the rich poor.”
“Laffer believes in his curve and he’s made everyone in government believe in it too.
The thing is, everyone believes in the Laffer curve, right and left. They disagree about its shape but they all “believe” in it. Peretti believes it is nothing more than a “doodle on a napkin”.
I certainly would not recommend this book. Sadly, there are a lot of intelligent people out there who think writers like Peretti are exposing uncomfortable truths. To me, it came across more as poorly researched story-telling. Maybe he’s right about a lot of things in this book but he sure isn’t gonna try to persuade anyone that his counterintuitive claims actually make sense when you examine them.
August 6, 2018
No tengo suficientes palabras para describir cómo me ha hecho sentir esta lectura... Es tan enriquecedora como emocionalmente dolorosa, una combinación explosiva pero recomendable al 100% El punto más negativo bajo mi punto de vista es, que a veces da tantos datos y aporta información tan precisa y económicamente específica, que en algún punto puedes llegar a no comprenderlo bien por no entender algunos conceptos, pero la lectura global te deja en muchos momentos ojiplático de asombro.
Trata, desvela y muestra temas muy escabrosos como por ejemplo, cómo los ricos son tan ricos y los pobres son tan pobres, (llevándose por delante lo que sea y a quien sea), cómo está desapareciendo la clase media y la catástrofe que esto supone para la subsistencia de una economía equilibrada, cómo experimentan con la salud y alimentación de las personas sólo para enriquecerse y observar su propio juego como si fuéramos marionetas en sus manos, cómo nos crean una insatisfacción contínua para que nunca pensemos por nosotros mismos, cómo nos crean una enfermedad para después vendernos "su cura" falsa...
Viene a decir durante toda la lectura, que cuanto más entremos en el Sistema, más entrampados y a su merced estaremos. En algún punto compara este Sistema de élite con "Los Juegos del Hambre" y es tan real que asusta... En un momento quise dejar de leer para que dejara de doler tanta verdad que se nos quiere ocultar, pero pienso que es mejor conocer todo esto para poder soltar los hilos que nos manejan y pensar y actuar por nosotros mismos (en la medida en la que se nos permita, pues la Tierra está controlada por unos pocos que nos vigilan)
Por último, he de dejar claro que la lectura de este libro es para personas valientes, valientes que se atreven a mirar más allá, a conocer una verdad que no se quiere ver, y a no creer a la primera cualquier consejo o dato de nadie, pues pueden estar consciente o inconscientemente manipulados. La información es poder, y bien lo saben los miembros de las altas esferas...
Comentar Me gusta
Trata, desvela y muestra temas muy escabrosos como por ejemplo, cómo los ricos son tan ricos y los pobres son tan pobres, (llevándose por delante lo que sea y a quien sea), cómo está desapareciendo la clase media y la catástrofe que esto supone para la subsistencia de una economía equilibrada, cómo experimentan con la salud y alimentación de las personas sólo para enriquecerse y observar su propio juego como si fuéramos marionetas en sus manos, cómo nos crean una insatisfacción contínua para que nunca pensemos por nosotros mismos, cómo nos crean una enfermedad para después vendernos "su cura" falsa...
Viene a decir durante toda la lectura, que cuanto más entremos en el Sistema, más entrampados y a su merced estaremos. En algún punto compara este Sistema de élite con "Los Juegos del Hambre" y es tan real que asusta... En un momento quise dejar de leer para que dejara de doler tanta verdad que se nos quiere ocultar, pero pienso que es mejor conocer todo esto para poder soltar los hilos que nos manejan y pensar y actuar por nosotros mismos (en la medida en la que se nos permita, pues la Tierra está controlada por unos pocos que nos vigilan)
Por último, he de dejar claro que la lectura de este libro es para personas valientes, valientes que se atreven a mirar más allá, a conocer una verdad que no se quiere ver, y a no creer a la primera cualquier consejo o dato de nadie, pues pueden estar consciente o inconscientemente manipulados. La información es poder, y bien lo saben los miembros de las altas esferas...
Comentar Me gusta
March 13, 2018
No hay que dejarnos llevar por el titulo ni por la portada de este libro. la portada puede dar el espejismo que este libro habla sobre "conspiraciones". pero la verdad es que es un reportaje periodistico muy bueno sobre como el capitalismo esta avanzando en los ultimos años y como las nuevas tendencias que nos afectan fueron idelizadas.
desde el fin del dinero como un objeto fisico hasta la inminente toma del sistema financiero por parte de las empresas de tecnologia, este libro es muy revelador sobre como el oportunismo impera en el sistema capitalista. ahora las corporaciones pueden llegar a ser mas poderosas que gobiermos, inclusive los "Big Five" (Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple y Micosoft) tiene mucho mas dinero que algunos paises.
este libro me da a pensar como el capitalismo ha evolucionado desde su idiologia inicial hasta lo que vemos ahora y como la tecnologia ha sido el vehiculo que ha llevado a este modelo economico a ser el mas eficiente de nuestra historia.
este es un libro que recomiendo para las personas que quieran saber mas sobre como el capitalismo ha logrado expandirse por medio de grandes corporaciones que diversifican sus actividades y ahora retan con suer nuestros nuevos sistemas financieros, guvernamentales e incluso sociales. entre todo el libro puedes notar un aura de 1984.
desde el fin del dinero como un objeto fisico hasta la inminente toma del sistema financiero por parte de las empresas de tecnologia, este libro es muy revelador sobre como el oportunismo impera en el sistema capitalista. ahora las corporaciones pueden llegar a ser mas poderosas que gobiermos, inclusive los "Big Five" (Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple y Micosoft) tiene mucho mas dinero que algunos paises.
este libro me da a pensar como el capitalismo ha evolucionado desde su idiologia inicial hasta lo que vemos ahora y como la tecnologia ha sido el vehiculo que ha llevado a este modelo economico a ser el mas eficiente de nuestra historia.
este es un libro que recomiendo para las personas que quieran saber mas sobre como el capitalismo ha logrado expandirse por medio de grandes corporaciones que diversifican sus actividades y ahora retan con suer nuestros nuevos sistemas financieros, guvernamentales e incluso sociales. entre todo el libro puedes notar un aura de 1984.
June 7, 2021
On the second read. . .hmm. Still a good book, and I don't really want to spoil it, but I do want it on record that the last little bit of the book (and the veins of it in the rest of the book) aggravates me.
2021: It's still interesting, but race theory is doing some heavy lifting, the "Algorithms shall perfect us" rant's a bit daft, Musk has become public enough the fact his old image ever existed is almost more comical than his current one as a blundering aristocratic child, the author, let's be generous and say it's only for ease of writing and to draw the reader's attention, tends towards conspiracism by implication . . . which is punchy, but somewhat irritating.
I either dislike how Peretti presents his writing for a popular work, dislike Peretti, or am accurately identifying some seriously troubling undercurrents in the work.
Again, better to go with the generous reading on this one, I think, and say I generally agree with my previous impressions of the book. I'm particularly fond of bringing to thought "Who benefits" re: digitizing money (and crypto for that matter) in the opening chapter.
2021: It's still interesting, but race theory is doing some heavy lifting, the "Algorithms shall perfect us" rant's a bit daft, Musk has become public enough the fact his old image ever existed is almost more comical than his current one as a blundering aristocratic child, the author, let's be generous and say it's only for ease of writing and to draw the reader's attention, tends towards conspiracism by implication . . . which is punchy, but somewhat irritating.
I either dislike how Peretti presents his writing for a popular work, dislike Peretti, or am accurately identifying some seriously troubling undercurrents in the work.
Again, better to go with the generous reading on this one, I think, and say I generally agree with my previous impressions of the book. I'm particularly fond of bringing to thought "Who benefits" re: digitizing money (and crypto for that matter) in the opening chapter.
Want to read
April 1, 2018======
Yikes, this book came out over 9 months ago and was released for sale a few days ago and I just found out about it now? Dang!
He's the same guy that wrote about inequality. The French economist? Oh wait that's Pettit. This is the British journalist that has slightly thick lips and almost talks with a lisp. He's made some good docos. Cool.
Oops: Thomas Picketty. How is he French?! This book The Economics of Inequality
Double oops, it's Thomas Piketty also wrote Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Yikes, this book came out over 9 months ago and was released for sale a few days ago and I just found out about it now? Dang!
He's the same guy that wrote about inequality. The French economist? Oh wait that's Pettit. This is the British journalist that has slightly thick lips and almost talks with a lisp. He's made some good docos. Cool.
Oops: Thomas Picketty. How is he French?! This book The Economics of Inequality
Double oops, it's Thomas Piketty also wrote Capital in the Twenty-First Century
March 26, 2019
Perhaps to some this information is new and mind expanding but I found myself speeding ahead to the next section without picking up anything overly useful. The post-facto narrative quality feels more like weaving a story over history rather than uncovering a grand conspiracy or design. It is unsurprising to hear that innovation springs up in the minds of individuals who challenge any existing system, the world is changed by us and governments can only regulate and hold on for the ride. The few positive points in the final chapters were interesting with respect to the teaching of children and the future but overall I can't really recommend this book.
August 21, 2017
Fantastic insight into the way our world is run. Forget Putin declaring war or our Western governments having control - the modern world is governed by the tech companies and food companies... and the Chinese and thats without mentioning the inevitable threat of AI!! Read this book, open your eyes and learn!
October 21, 2017
In summary: this book lays out how business has transformed politics, how and where countries around the world illegally launder money, profiles on a couple of companies that seem to reach out through every private sector with no regulation, how china came to practically run the world, and how the five biggest tech companies practically run the countries they're based out of.
December 30, 2017
My selected book for closing 2017. Well documented and written a must read uncovering truths of the big 5 companies, government, sugar and so much more. Secret deals that change the world what we buy and how.
August 4, 2019
Look... it is very good, but not compelling. A great example of an important book that everyone should read, a lot of new to everyone info about news stories we all heard about, but never dug into, but the assemblage is so FT writer workman-like that it has no chance of jumping the ocean and getting its due. Maybe a couple fewer deals and more time spent Michael Lewis-ing the characters and this great but sloggy info would get into more heads.
May 25, 2018
Underwhelming. The book is very well-researched & is very well written. But thematically, gets quite repetitive. I expected more.
March 19, 2022
This book contains interesting anecdotes and stories spanning a wide range of topics. Condensing all of that information in a single volume of reasonable length is a difficult goal. Ultimately I think this book could have been a lot better had it either been cut down to fewer chapters, with greater detail in each.
But (as mentioned in many of the other reviews) the author repeatedly draws attention-grabbing conclusions without presenting much backing for his theories and claims. Rather than presenting a thorough or nuanced view of each topic, the author frequently leaps to conclusions which can at best be described as a biased interpretation of the information at hand.
The presentation of SSL (Secure Socket Layer) as a blockchain-related is simply incorrect and erroneous given by how many years SSL predates blockchain. This makes one question which other facts the author has gotten wrong or presented in an unclear manner.
Other reviewers have noted the misrepresentation of certain content; e.g. from my perspective the presentation of the Black-Scholes formula is extremely one-sided. Not once is the actual purpose or original design of deritiaves trading (as on commodities like wheat or corn) discussed. One is left with the impression that derivatives were designed for and are exclusively an extremely risky financial instrument used by corporations to try and generate profits. While it is certainly used like that in many cases, that is by no means the only use case for it. Indeed, the very purpose of futures contracts in the first place was to enable commodity traders (e.g. farmers) to mitigate the risk that they are exposed to due to fluctuating commodity prices. A balanced presentation of the facts would have shown that though this was the intended purpose of futures contracts originally, its alternative (and now wide-ranging) use as an investment asset class has led to disastrous consequences for some.
If you are a reader who critically questions the author's theories - you are likely to find this a frustrating read. It appears to me as though this was written with a bit of sensationalist and broadbrush treatment of some of the content.
But (as mentioned in many of the other reviews) the author repeatedly draws attention-grabbing conclusions without presenting much backing for his theories and claims. Rather than presenting a thorough or nuanced view of each topic, the author frequently leaps to conclusions which can at best be described as a biased interpretation of the information at hand.
The presentation of SSL (Secure Socket Layer) as a blockchain-related is simply incorrect and erroneous given by how many years SSL predates blockchain. This makes one question which other facts the author has gotten wrong or presented in an unclear manner.
Other reviewers have noted the misrepresentation of certain content; e.g. from my perspective the presentation of the Black-Scholes formula is extremely one-sided. Not once is the actual purpose or original design of deritiaves trading (as on commodities like wheat or corn) discussed. One is left with the impression that derivatives were designed for and are exclusively an extremely risky financial instrument used by corporations to try and generate profits. While it is certainly used like that in many cases, that is by no means the only use case for it. Indeed, the very purpose of futures contracts in the first place was to enable commodity traders (e.g. farmers) to mitigate the risk that they are exposed to due to fluctuating commodity prices. A balanced presentation of the facts would have shown that though this was the intended purpose of futures contracts originally, its alternative (and now wide-ranging) use as an investment asset class has led to disastrous consequences for some.
If you are a reader who critically questions the author's theories - you are likely to find this a frustrating read. It appears to me as though this was written with a bit of sensationalist and broadbrush treatment of some of the content.
November 29, 2020
Strongest chapters are on Upgrade and the cycle of engineered dissatisfaction and planned obscelence, Power particularly re McKinsey's ability to engineer demand for their own sevices and secure the Finance Minister position Inc. in Australia, Italy, Japan, Think Small with the argument that the internet and Musk's and SpaceX's satellite data will allow SMEs and Africa to leapfrog stages of technological development which slowed other nations (and 50pc growth estimated to be from SMEs, thus companies which can act as a layer between them such as Square, Kenyan M-Pesa, Indonesian Gojek, Australian Xero, etc have the potential to benefit. FB very active in acquiring these types of firms.
News interesting for explaining the pivot to reality TV (to avoid the Jennifed Aniston problem of exponentially increasing salaries for returning cast members) and rolling 24 hour news coverage (to average out the sunk costs of news production). Robots similarly interesting for arguing Robots and Data will replace the decision layer rather than the labour layer (this can be seen on Amazon's warehouses).
Also Revisiting Plutomy interesting for the schism between poverty goods (credit cards, payday loans, ultra budget detail, discount stores) and luxury for the ultra rich (LVMH, etc).
Further Reading: Rene Girard mimetic theory, viatical, ABCD food industry, Black-Scholes formula, Robert Dall, Revisiting Plutonomy by Citigroup Equity, DCDC Global Strategic Trends Program, Ha-Joon Chang 23 things they don't tell you about capitalism, The Box by Marc Levinson (Shipping Containers), Rosser Reeves Reality in Advertising (Don Draper), The Essential Turing, ideas that gave birth to the computer age, Executive office of US President on Artificial Intelligence, Big Short, Bill Gates the Road Ahead.
News interesting for explaining the pivot to reality TV (to avoid the Jennifed Aniston problem of exponentially increasing salaries for returning cast members) and rolling 24 hour news coverage (to average out the sunk costs of news production). Robots similarly interesting for arguing Robots and Data will replace the decision layer rather than the labour layer (this can be seen on Amazon's warehouses).
Also Revisiting Plutomy interesting for the schism between poverty goods (credit cards, payday loans, ultra budget detail, discount stores) and luxury for the ultra rich (LVMH, etc).
Further Reading: Rene Girard mimetic theory, viatical, ABCD food industry, Black-Scholes formula, Robert Dall, Revisiting Plutonomy by Citigroup Equity, DCDC Global Strategic Trends Program, Ha-Joon Chang 23 things they don't tell you about capitalism, The Box by Marc Levinson (Shipping Containers), Rosser Reeves Reality in Advertising (Don Draper), The Essential Turing, ideas that gave birth to the computer age, Executive office of US President on Artificial Intelligence, Big Short, Bill Gates the Road Ahead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2021
Cine se asteapta la mari conspiratii, nu va fi incantat de carte. Aceasta prezintă exact acele elemente ascunse la vedere ale caror efecte guvernează prezentul.
Scriitura cartii este un pic haotica si obositoare, autorul sare de la o ideea la alta pe nesimtite si fara sa iti dai seama, ramanand totusi, de-a lungul firului rosu pe care il trateaza la inceputul capitolului.
Este o carte relativ relaxanta care te poate face sa ridici uimit si contemplativ din sprâncene la fiecare capitol, atata timp cat reusesti sa iti mentii concentrarea pentru a putea face legatura intre ideile printre care autorul face slalom.
Cartea pare mai mult un film documentar si este scrisa exclusiv in acest stil, fapt care ii scade din calitate. Cand spun asta, nu ma refer la stilul literar, ci la cel literal si vreau sa subliniez ca tranzitia între idei si puncte de vedere se face brusc si sec, exact ca in tranzitia cadrelor din filmele documentare, cu o voce narativa pe fundal.
Scriitura cartii este un pic haotica si obositoare, autorul sare de la o ideea la alta pe nesimtite si fara sa iti dai seama, ramanand totusi, de-a lungul firului rosu pe care il trateaza la inceputul capitolului.
Este o carte relativ relaxanta care te poate face sa ridici uimit si contemplativ din sprâncene la fiecare capitol, atata timp cat reusesti sa iti mentii concentrarea pentru a putea face legatura intre ideile printre care autorul face slalom.
Cartea pare mai mult un film documentar si este scrisa exclusiv in acest stil, fapt care ii scade din calitate. Cand spun asta, nu ma refer la stilul literar, ci la cel literal si vreau sa subliniez ca tranzitia între idei si puncte de vedere se face brusc si sec, exact ca in tranzitia cadrelor din filmele documentare, cu o voce narativa pe fundal.
February 5, 2018
This is not about conspiracy theories as the name might suggest, but actually a very scary vision about the future. It’s about the current state of capitalism, which seems to be above laws. Any regulations come too late or can be circumvented. Governments are dwarfed in the quest of corporations controlling technological advancement. Humans and humanity might be the biggest losers of all time against robots. This book is essential reading for anyone starting to question the current, almost evangelical message about the good of AI. The book does not explore the issue of where might the counter forces come from.
August 17, 2019
We're all dupes, but I, for one, am not surprised to find out. The post-democratic, globalised, money-driven world order is stripped bare in this fascinating and confounding book. Unsurprisingly, the cover quotes Russell Brand who you either think is a prophet or a looney. I tend toward the former characterisation. Read this, and vote.
It's not an easy read as it's dense with information, but Peretti does a good job of contextualising much of the data. I found myself taking it a topic at a time, then putting it down for a week or two.
It's not an easy read as it's dense with information, but Peretti does a good job of contextualising much of the data. I found myself taking it a topic at a time, then putting it down for a week or two.
May 15, 2018
In the world of business, backdoor deals are everywhere. This book takes on the biggest of the businesses with the most reaching global deals ever made. It covers everything from the food we eat, to the drugs we take, to the cash we use, up to the world of business itself. This is one business book that everyone should read!
November 16, 2018
Very exciting and rather depressing book about the state of the world, it shows where real power lies. The reason I have given four stars and not five is it is somewhat sensationalist and glazes over nuance (for example, when discussing how governments have ceded power to businesses, Peretti ignores the fact that governments still hold a monopoly on violence).
December 18, 2018
Una vez acabé de leer la sinopsis de este libro se despertó de manera inmediata una enorme curiosidad por explorar su contenido, pues no sé qué opinen ustedes lectores, pero yo soy un convencido de que, para bien o para mal, dependerá de la forma de pensar de cada uno, el mundo como lo conocemos hoy en día es el resultado de decisiones de unos pocos individuos, que ya sea por poder político o económico, han tenido en sus manos el destino de todos los que habitamos este planeta.
Y en esta obra escrita por Jacques Peretti se nos presentan relatos detallados de algunos de los tratos llevados a cabo por emprendedores que apenas comenzaban su camino o por empresarios ya establecidos con la experiencia suficiente para reconocer negocios rentables. Lo que destaco sin ninguna duda, es que todos estos personajes fueron capaces de ver más allá de su época, las ideas y proyectos que desarrollaron fueron pensados para tener un efecto duradero, además de que todos ellos desembocaron en un rotundo éxito económico.
En Trato Hecho encontrarán desde la implementación del dinero electrónico que evita el dolor de deshacerte materialmente de dinero en efectivo, hasta la ingeniería de la insatisfacción la cual priva de una felicidad duradera al adquirir un nuevo producto, ya que éste quedará obsoleto en poco tiempo. Pasando por los mitos de las dietas y el índice de masa corporal que son sólo herramientas sin base científica para la venta de productos ¨bajos en grasa¨, también nos cuenta acerca de la implementación de azúcares más baratos en las bebidas carbonatadas como estrategia para formar un círculo vicioso entre obesidad y dieta.
Además, nos narra cómo fue que comenzó el uso indiscriminado de fármacos al detectar una ¨zona gris¨ entre salud y enfermedad, la prevención como impulsor de las ventas en la industria farmacéutica, en fin, tratos que han modificado nuestra forma de ver las cosas en la actualidad.
Pero en definitiva lo que más llamó mi atención de este libro fueron dos capítulos en particular, en uno nos cuenta cómo las grandes corporaciones han tomado el control incluso político, me sorprendió leer como es que las empresas demandan países enteros cuando éstos intentan implementar leyes y regulaciones que van en contra de sus intereses. Y luego me pregunto por qué en México algunas grandes empresas no pagan sus impuestos, he aquí mi respuesta.
Y el otro capítulo es aquel donde se nos narra cómo Asia, concretamente China, ha cambiado la balanza económica a su favor, en definitiva, es muy grato leer como un país ha logrado su crecimiento en base a la colectividad y en su predisposición por el bien común.
De verdad recomiendo mucho este libro y los invito lectores a darle una hojeada, eso sí, debo advertir que contiene en verdad muchísima información, prepárense para una lluvia de datos ante sus ojos, fuera de eso, créanme que vale mucho la pena.
Y en esta obra escrita por Jacques Peretti se nos presentan relatos detallados de algunos de los tratos llevados a cabo por emprendedores que apenas comenzaban su camino o por empresarios ya establecidos con la experiencia suficiente para reconocer negocios rentables. Lo que destaco sin ninguna duda, es que todos estos personajes fueron capaces de ver más allá de su época, las ideas y proyectos que desarrollaron fueron pensados para tener un efecto duradero, además de que todos ellos desembocaron en un rotundo éxito económico.
En Trato Hecho encontrarán desde la implementación del dinero electrónico que evita el dolor de deshacerte materialmente de dinero en efectivo, hasta la ingeniería de la insatisfacción la cual priva de una felicidad duradera al adquirir un nuevo producto, ya que éste quedará obsoleto en poco tiempo. Pasando por los mitos de las dietas y el índice de masa corporal que son sólo herramientas sin base científica para la venta de productos ¨bajos en grasa¨, también nos cuenta acerca de la implementación de azúcares más baratos en las bebidas carbonatadas como estrategia para formar un círculo vicioso entre obesidad y dieta.
Además, nos narra cómo fue que comenzó el uso indiscriminado de fármacos al detectar una ¨zona gris¨ entre salud y enfermedad, la prevención como impulsor de las ventas en la industria farmacéutica, en fin, tratos que han modificado nuestra forma de ver las cosas en la actualidad.
Pero en definitiva lo que más llamó mi atención de este libro fueron dos capítulos en particular, en uno nos cuenta cómo las grandes corporaciones han tomado el control incluso político, me sorprendió leer como es que las empresas demandan países enteros cuando éstos intentan implementar leyes y regulaciones que van en contra de sus intereses. Y luego me pregunto por qué en México algunas grandes empresas no pagan sus impuestos, he aquí mi respuesta.
Y el otro capítulo es aquel donde se nos narra cómo Asia, concretamente China, ha cambiado la balanza económica a su favor, en definitiva, es muy grato leer como un país ha logrado su crecimiento en base a la colectividad y en su predisposición por el bien común.
De verdad recomiendo mucho este libro y los invito lectores a darle una hojeada, eso sí, debo advertir que contiene en verdad muchísima información, prepárense para una lluvia de datos ante sus ojos, fuera de eso, créanme que vale mucho la pena.
March 1, 2021
A light TED Talk-style read with a compelling premise.
We tend to think of our world as controlled by political forces. The politicans we elect, the wars won and lost, the deals struck in Congress.
Jacques Petetti knows differently. For twenty years, he interviewed the people who have truly altered our world, the CEOs of multinational corporations, economists, scientists, and politicans privy to private negotiations and business dealings that few of us know about.
Touching upon technology, finance, globalisation, taxation, and pharmaceuticals in a postglobalization environment, Peretti offers a compelling way to understand the last fifty years—and a suggestion of what the next fifty might hold.
Some topics
- The death of cash and who gains (hint: consumers lose)
- The transformation of Wall Street from managing risk to speculating on it
- How tax avoidance is hollowing out the world
- An increasingly unequal world = new opportunities in luxury and poverty
- A corrupt food industry that profits off the fat and the thin
- The (over-)medication of modern life
- How work went from what we do to who we are
- Planned obsolence is both the key of consumerist capitalism and deeply problematic
- McKinsey "The Firm"
- Business vs Government
- Fox News and all the Fake News
- Robotisation, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence
- The Big 5 of Tech
- China is rewriting the rules
Ultimately, the book makes some very interesting observations, but it's discussion of nuanced and complex events is simplified and shallow. A fun overview of a world you may not have heard about, but further reading is required to really get at the heart of any of these topics.
We tend to think of our world as controlled by political forces. The politicans we elect, the wars won and lost, the deals struck in Congress.
Jacques Petetti knows differently. For twenty years, he interviewed the people who have truly altered our world, the CEOs of multinational corporations, economists, scientists, and politicans privy to private negotiations and business dealings that few of us know about.
Touching upon technology, finance, globalisation, taxation, and pharmaceuticals in a postglobalization environment, Peretti offers a compelling way to understand the last fifty years—and a suggestion of what the next fifty might hold.
Some topics
- The death of cash and who gains (hint: consumers lose)
- The transformation of Wall Street from managing risk to speculating on it
- How tax avoidance is hollowing out the world
- An increasingly unequal world = new opportunities in luxury and poverty
- A corrupt food industry that profits off the fat and the thin
- The (over-)medication of modern life
- How work went from what we do to who we are
- Planned obsolence is both the key of consumerist capitalism and deeply problematic
- McKinsey "The Firm"
- Business vs Government
- Fox News and all the Fake News
- Robotisation, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence
- The Big 5 of Tech
- China is rewriting the rules
Ultimately, the book makes some very interesting observations, but it's discussion of nuanced and complex events is simplified and shallow. A fun overview of a world you may not have heard about, but further reading is required to really get at the heart of any of these topics.
January 16, 2022
I was recently sent an early release copy of a new book by Jacques Peretti titled The Deals That Made The World; in which Peretti, lays out how greed and ambition carried out and negotiated in secret meetings and backroom deals has impacted our everyday lives and not for the better. At least not for the better of the regular guy just trying to get by or get ahead.
Peretti lays out the fake data, and fake science that corporate behemoths have used to decrease overhead and or increase profit, by selling a load of crap in fancy marketing! The opening volley exposes the Phoebus cartel’s two-pronged approach to increasing profits and maintaining their power and control. Not, only do they (the member corporations from the light bulb industry) agree to limit the life-span of their individual products, they also agree to work together to destroy any upstart business that would try to sell longer lasting light bulbs!
Before you go all, “I am a savvy consumer and only do business with ‘good business companies’,” keep in mind this book includes deals by Apple and Elon Musk. Not much surprise to most, I hope, is that the biggest players of “screwing over the public for profit” are the food and pharmaceutical companies! In addition, the reader is exposed to such maneuvers as the leveraging of political risk to produce profit in uncertainty to the tactics of how to take advantage of the widening inequality gap by Tobias Levkovich and Citibank.
The in-depth and complete review can be found here https://randomthoughtonlineblog.wordp...
Peretti lays out the fake data, and fake science that corporate behemoths have used to decrease overhead and or increase profit, by selling a load of crap in fancy marketing! The opening volley exposes the Phoebus cartel’s two-pronged approach to increasing profits and maintaining their power and control. Not, only do they (the member corporations from the light bulb industry) agree to limit the life-span of their individual products, they also agree to work together to destroy any upstart business that would try to sell longer lasting light bulbs!
Before you go all, “I am a savvy consumer and only do business with ‘good business companies’,” keep in mind this book includes deals by Apple and Elon Musk. Not much surprise to most, I hope, is that the biggest players of “screwing over the public for profit” are the food and pharmaceutical companies! In addition, the reader is exposed to such maneuvers as the leveraging of political risk to produce profit in uncertainty to the tactics of how to take advantage of the widening inequality gap by Tobias Levkovich and Citibank.
The in-depth and complete review can be found here https://randomthoughtonlineblog.wordp...
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