An exposé of the billionaires who built the US economy on sand, and the virus that saw it crumble
An exposé of the billionaires who built the US economy on sand, and the virus that saw it crumble
It was the ultimate test for CEOs, and almost none of them saw it coming.
__In early March 2020, with the Dow Jones flirting with 30,000, the world's biggest companies were riding an eleven-year economic high. By the end of the month, millions would be out of work, iconic firms were begging for bailouts, and countless small businesses were in freefall. Slick consulting teams and country-club connections were suddenly of little use: business leaders were fumbling in the dark, tossing out long-term strategy and making decisions on the fly-decisions, they hoped, that might just save them.In Crash Landing, award-winning business journalist Liz Hoffman shows how the pandemic set the economy on fire-but if you look closely, the tinder was already there.Based on astonishing access inside some of the world's biggest and most iconic companies, this is a gripping account of the most remarkable period in modern economic history, revealing how they battled against an economic catastrophe for which there was no playbook: among them, AirBnB's Brian Chesky, blindsided by a virus in the middle of a high-stakes effort to go public; American Airlines's Doug Parker, shuttling between K Street and the White House, determined to secure a multi-billion-dollar bailout; and Ford's Jim Hackett, as his assembly lines went from churning out cars to ventilators.Crash Landing reveals the fear, grit, and gambles of the pandemic economy, while probing its implications for the future of work, corporate leadership, and capitalism itself, asking: Will this remarkable time give rise to newfound resilience, or become just anothercostly mistake to be forgotten?__A gripping account of the financial carnage of the pandemic, revealing the fear, grit, and gambles that drove the economy's winners and losers.'With the urgency of Too Big to Fail and unforgettable characterizations of The Big Short, Crash Landing tells a momentous story: how the Covid-19 pandemic threatened not just billions of lives but the livelihoods and economic safety of nearly everyone on the planet.' -- Brad Stone, author of Amazon Unbound and The Everything Store
"Hoffman takes readers behind the scenes to show how corporate, business and government leaders responded to a once-in-century calamity. Crash Landing is full of drama. Those eager to prepare for the next crisis should read this book and heed its lessons." --Gregory Zuckerman, New York Times bestselling author of The Man Who Solved the Market
"Crash Landing is a true masterwork. Liz Hoffman's perceptive, well researched, and captivating look at how COVID transformed the business and financial industries should be on the shelf of every student of the business world."
--David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-chairman, The Carlyle Group; New York Times bestselling author of How to Invest
'This book reads like a suspense thriller, because that's what it is, even though every word is true. Hoffman casts her brilliant reportorial eye on the economic upheaval that began in late 2019. She reveals just how often the supposed rational leaders of the economy are actually shooting from the hip, relying on gut instinct, cronyism and self-interest to try and steer the economy away from the abyss.' -- Brian Koppelman, co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of Showtime's Billions
Liz Hoffman is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in New York, where she covers business and finance. She's covered some of the biggest deals of the last decade, breaking key stories and, more recently, covering the pandemic. Liz graduated from Tufts University and has a masters degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
It was the ultimate test for CEOs, and almost none of them saw it coming. __ In early March 2020, with the Dow Jones flirting with 30,000, the world's biggest companies were riding an eleven-year economic high. By the end of the month, millions would be out of work, iconic firms were begging for bailouts, and countless small businesses were in freefall. Slick consulting teams and country-club connections were suddenly of little use: business leaders were fumbling in the dark, tossing out long-term strategy and making decisions on the fly-decisions, they hoped, that might just save them.In Crash Landing , award-winning business journalist Liz Hoffman shows how the pandemic set the economy on fire-but if you look closely, the tinder was already there.Based on astonishing access inside some of the world's biggest and most iconic companies, this is a gripping account of the most remarkable period in modern economic history, revealing how they battled against an economic catastrophe for which there was no playbook: among them, AirBnB's Brian Chesky, blindsided by a virus in the middle of a high-stakes effort to go public; American Airlines's Doug Parker, shuttling between K Street and the White House, determined to secure a multi-billion-dollar bailout; and Ford's Jim Hackett, as his assembly lines went from churning out cars to ventilators. Crash Landing reveals the fear, grit, and gambles of the pandemic economy, while probing its implications for the future of work, corporate leadership, and capitalism itself, asking: Will this remarkable time give rise to newfound resilience, or become just anothercostly mistake to be forgotten? __ A gripping account of the financial carnage of the pandemic, revealing the fear, grit, and gambles that drove the economy's winners and losers.
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