Bloomberg by Bloomberg [Paperback]

Michael R. Bloomberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2001

The remarkable story of how Michael Bloomberg created a media empire

"Lots of entrepreneurs make money. Lots of entrepreneurs who make money write books. Few of those books make you glad they did. This one does."
—The New York Times Book Review

"A classic tale of a nimble, customer-focused, entrepreneurial David outsmarting bureaucratic, ossified, corporate Goliaths."
—Business Week

"Entertaining, engaging, and informative, Bloomberg by Bloomberg is packed with great advice about how to start a lean, hungry company-and how to keep it that way."
—Bryan Burrough, coauthor, Barbarians at the Gate

Brash, aggressive, and supremely self-confident, Michael Bloomberg, the visionary leader of the world's fastest-growing media empire, has been hailed as the new standard for what it takes to win in the Information Age. Dismissed from Salomon Brothers in 1981, Bloomberg immediately took his money and acerbic personality and started Bloomberg L.P. Bolstered by a $30 million investment from Merrill Lynch, the company and the man have been sprinting ahead of the pack ever since. Only twenty years after founding, he's at the top of his industry. And on June 5, 2001, he added mayoral candidate for New York City to his list of accomplishments and aspirations. If elected, powerhouse Michael Bloomberg will bring his own brand of leadership-and personal style-to the city that never sleeps.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Members of the world's financial communities are increasingly securing the information that drives them from Michael Bloomberg. His specialized media--including manipulable online data feeds, a global newswire, and extensive magazine and broadcast outlets--have turned the business of business news upside down. Along the way, he's made a substantial fortune and a significant name for himself. In Bloomberg by Bloomberg, he reveals (with help from colleague Matthew Winkler) how it all came to be. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Media moguls are hard to like. Rupert Murdoch may be a visionary, but would you want to work for him? Ted Turner may be a risk taker, but aren't you glad he didn't take over CBS? So it's an achievement that Michael Bloomberg has written an instructive and engaging autobiography. -- The New York Times Book Review, William C. Taylor --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471208884
• ISBN-13: 978-0471208884
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Big, February 21, 2002

By 

John Van Wagner (Upper Montclair, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bloomberg by Bloomberg (Paperback)

Don't be deceived by the modest size of this self-made billionaire's autobiography. As if cramped by the limitations of the book's length, Michael Bloomberg's ego assaults the reader like an over-zealous vacuum cleaner salesman, pushing his ideas on life, work and excellence with all the energy that scores of superlatives can summon. Funny, then, that in many places the story comes off as a crashing bore.

"Bloomberg by Bloomberg" is ultimately redeemed by the compelling nature of the tale. More than anything the spectacular success of Bloomberg, L.P. highlighted the extent of the information technology revolution and the resultant productivity gains that transformed global industry. There's no question that Michael Bloomberg saw these changes coming, and in harnessing them created a company whose reputation for excellence, innovation, and customer orientation set a standard unmatched by any information services company before or since.

The author's pride in Bloomberg, L.P. suffuses the book, and he focuses so much loving attention on its birth and propsperity that at times this seems more like the story of a company than a man. The two are clearly of one soul. But at times it's easy to forget that this is the story of an extraordinary character and not an addendum to "In Search of Excellence".

This life story is one in which the input of outsiders would add tremendous insight. When Bloomberg discusses his dealings with his Harvard Business classmates, his trading buddies at Salomon Bros., or his employees at Bloomberg, it's easy to wish for their side of the story. As it is, the only hint we get of humility or insecurity from Bloomberg himself is his incessant reminder of the fact that he had been fired from Salomon Bros. ("though with a $10million severance), and that he had to call on every psychological resource to overcome this calamitous setback and move on to greater glory. Is he difficult? Has he ever been ruthless or cruel? Does he have any imperfections at all? You won't learn these things from Bloomberg by Bloomberg. And what he possibly doesn't realize is that these are the things that add color to a story, if not authority in the boardroom. Next time he should shop for a biographer. Maybe after he's moved on from the mayoralty to the Big Job, Doris Kearns Goodwin can do him justice.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First half great on business; second half pontification, August 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Bloomberg by Bloomberg (Hardcover)

Michael is clearly a hard driving CEO that has built an outstanding business. It is a great story and the building and history of Bloomberg is tremendous reading. The second half gets tiring fast; all entreprenuers have big egos, and his gets in the way as he dishes out advice on everything from education to family. Read the first half, skim the second.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Arrogant, boastful, blind, but beguiling, November 5, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bloomberg by Bloomberg (Paperback)

The most arrogant, pompous, self-important autobiography I've ever read. Mike Bloomberg makes Barbara Cartland seem as modest as Ophelia and as talented as Shakespeare. Sloppily written, utterly devoid of irony or self-perception, it is the sort of book one might expecta Harvard MBA to write. The man, as anyone who has visited the US will know, is a rampant egomaniac, who would probably like to plaster his name across Heaven - and this book shows why. But but but... it is a gripping and exciting story, and Bloomberg's energy, vision, and commitment are passionately communicated - his gradual destruction of Reuters and his building of a global media empire from scratch is a great yarn and he tells it well. His ideas on entrepreneurship and capitalism are less original than he might think, but the book is full of thoughts and ideas about being in business - it certainly stimulated me. Read it, if you have any interest in the media or in business - but with a pinch of salt please!