Buy new:
-45% $15.46$15.46
Delivery Wednesday, July 24
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
Save with Used - Good
$8.92$8.92
Delivery Thursday, July 25
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Martistore
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the author
OK
Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam Hardcover – August 17, 2021
Purchase options and add-ons
There’s a new invisible force at work in our economic and cultural lives. It affects every advertisement we see and every product we buy, from our morning coffee to a new pair of shoes. “Stakeholder capitalism” makes rosy promises of a better, more diverse, environmentally-friendly world, but in reality this ideology championed by America’s business and political leaders robs us of our money, our voice, and our identity.
Vivek Ramaswamy is a traitor to his class. He’s founded multibillion-dollar enterprises, led a biotech company as CEO, he became a hedge fund partner in his 20s, trained as a scientist at Harvard and a lawyer at Yale, and grew up the child of immigrants in a small town in Ohio. Now he takes us behind the scenes into corporate boardrooms and five-star conferences, into Ivy League classrooms and secretive nonprofits, to reveal the defining scam of our century.
The modern woke-industrial complex divides us as a people. By mixing morality with consumerism, America’s elites prey on our innermost insecurities about who we really are. They sell us cheap social causes and skin-deep identities to satisfy our hunger for a cause and our search for meaning, at a moment when we as Americans lack both.
This book not only rips back the curtain on the new corporatist agenda, it offers a better way forward. America’s elites may want to sort us into demographic boxes, but we don’t have to stay there. Woke, Inc. begins as a critique of stakeholder capitalism and ends with an exploration of what it means to be an American today—a journey that begins with cynicism and ends with hope.
- Print length368 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherCenter Street
- Publication dateAugust 17, 2021
- Dimensions6.4 x 1.4 x 9.3 inches
- ISBN-101546090789
- ISBN-13978-1546090786
Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought
Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to ExcellenceHardcover$10.99 shippingGet it as soon as Wednesday, Jul 24
Capitalist Punishment: How Wall Street Is Using Your Money to Create a Country You Didn't Vote ForHardcover$10.38 shippingGet it as soon as Wednesday, Jul 24
Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of RevolutionHardcover$10.28 shippingGet it as soon as Friday, Jul 26Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Get to know this book
What's it about?
A young entrepreneur argues against stakeholder capitalism, revealing the scam of the century and offering a new vision for American capitalism.
Popular highlight
When companies use their market power to make moral rules, they effectively prevent those other citizens from having the same say in our democracy.1,030 Kindle readers highlighted this
Popular highlight
A good barometer for the health of any democracy is the percentage of people who are willing to say what they actually believe in public.923 Kindle readers highlighted this
Popular highlight
Wokenomics is crony capitalism 2.0, and here’s how it works: big business uses progressive-friendly values to deflect attention from its own monolithic pursuit of profit and power.847 Kindle readers highlighted this
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Vivek Ramaswamy provides the single most informative and insightful analysis yet of woke ideology…Woke, Inc. is indispensable for understanding how America's newest and most consequential cultural dogma is fundamentally transforming virtually every sector of our lives.”―Glenn Greenwald, journalist, constitutional lawyer, and author of four New York Times bestselling books
In Woke, Inc., Vivek speaks the truth without fear: woke identity politics is dividing and weakening America at every level. He urges us to lift up all Americans, rather than to pit ourselves against each other. His combination of honesty, intellect, and foresight are exactly what we need to overcome our challenges in the years ahead. ―Ambassador Nikki Haley
“A provocative, compelling, and highly readable look at the uneasy relationship between business and politics. I may not agree with all of Vivek’s answers, but every thinking American needs to come to grips with the questions he poses.”―N. Gregory Mankiw, professor, Department of Economics at Harvard University
"In a world where many fear to say what they think, Vivek courageously attacks the hypocrisy of corporations and their managements...his speaking truth to power will elevate this important discussion and advance our understanding of the heretofore not-to-be-discussed risks of stakeholder capitalism. I strongly recommend you give this book a careful read."―Bill Ackman, Founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management
“Many CEOs bend the knee to the woke because they benefit from it, but Vivek Ramaswamy shows us what true courage requires. Scathing yet inspiring, Woke, Inc. is an important book for our time.”―Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution and Founder, AHA Foundation
"In this engaging, brilliant book, Vivek Ramaswamy hits the nail on the head: companies go woke because they get richer from division rather than unity. This book is an essential weapon in the battle to reclaim America's soul."―JD Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy and venture capitalist
“Vivek Ramaswamy…offers a path back toward a more free and prosperous society.”―Arthur C. Brooks, professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and New York Times bestselling author
About the Author
Vivek Ramaswamy is a New York Times bestselling author and entrepreneur who has founded multiple successful enterprises. A first-generation American, he is the founder and Executive Chairman of Roivant Sciences, a new type of biopharmaceutical company focused on the application of technology to drug development. He founded Roivant in 2014 and led the largest biotech IPOs of 2015 and 2016, eventually culminating in successful clinical trials in multiple disease areas that led to FDA-approved products.
Mr. Ramaswamy was born and raised in southwest Ohio. He graduated summa cum laude in biology from Harvard in 2007 and began his career as a biotech investor at a prominent hedge fund. Mr. Ramaswamy continued to work as an investor while earning his law degree at Yale, where he was a recipient of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.
Mr. Ramaswamy was featured on the cover of Forbes magazine in 2015 for his work in drug development. In 2020 he emerged as a prominent national commentator on stakeholder capitalism, free speech, and woke culture. He has authored numerous articles and op-eds, which have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Newsweek, and Harvard Business Review.
Mr. Ramaswamy serves on the board of directors of the Philanthropy Roundtable and the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity.
Product details
- Publisher : Center Street (August 17, 2021)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1546090789
- ISBN-13 : 978-1546090786
- Item Weight : 1.3 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.4 x 1.4 x 9.3 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #36,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #41 in Theory of Economics
- #65 in Political Philosophy (Books)
- #204 in Political Leader Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the writing style well-written, impressive, and funny at times. They also find the characters relatable, strong, and informative. Readers describe the book as very informative, bold, and attainable. They say the message is sincere and the arguments are well substantiated.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book very informative, well written, and eye-opening. They also appreciate the concept of diversity of thought, and the author's astute and solid observations. Readers describe the book as thought-provoking, bold, and attainable.
"...informed on topics like politics, and I found this book to be very eye-opening, relatable, and informative...." Read more
"My favorite thing was his concept of diversity of thought, as opposed to emphasis on race, etc. He and I share a vision for America." Read more
"...Vivek is a brilliant writer and shares his perspective which is not only novel, but very insightful and perceptive...." Read more
"...He shares so many interesting insights (based on his personal experiences) on Wall Street, Silicon Valley, Big Pharma, the FDA, politics, Harvard &..." Read more
Customers find the writing style well-written, well-explained, and well structured. They also say the book provides an easy to understand and follow history of the rise of woke culture and its influence. Readers also describe the author as impressive, witty, and funny at times.
"...I agreed with everything that was said in the book- it was laid out in a clear, concise manner, and had tons of sources provided...." Read more
"...Vivek is a brilliant writer and shares his perspective which is not only novel, but very insightful and perceptive...." Read more
"...Vivek is witty, funny at times and clearly a top shelf individual. Very interesting read." Read more
"...strong argument, solid exposition, but still vague proposals." Read more
Customers find the characters relatable, convincing, and riveting. They also say the passion and zeal of the author is excellent.
"...topics like politics, and I found this book to be very eye-opening, relatable, and informative...." Read more
"...Vivek is a brilliant writer and shares his perspective which is not only novel, but very insightful and perceptive...." Read more
"...strong argument, solid exposition, but still vague proposals." Read more
"Haven’t finished yet, but this book is very inciteful and a good read." Read more
Customers find the book informative and timely.
"A great and timely exposure to "wokeism's" war on capitalism by a brilliant mind well prepared and capable to explain it...." Read more
"...Very timely to read the book during the current environment." Read more
"Rec'd as advertised in great condition. Delivery was expeditious! TU Elam's Books!" Read more
"Informative & timely..." Read more
Reviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Politics should definitely stay OUT of the work place, and this book definitely proves that.
Vivek Ramaswamy's greatest strength when analyzing the growing influence of wokeism, including ESG, on corporate America is his ability to distill what is going on down to the most fundamental assumptions and discuss those assumptions directly. Ramaswamy has a background in biology and he has been a founder and CEO of the pharmaceutical company Roivant. He also has a JD from Yale Law. The combined backgrounds in business and law make him particularly adept at providing legal arguments against rising wokeism in corporate America.
Early on Ramaswamy recounts his experience growing up in America but making periodic visits to the village his father grew up in back in India. From these visits Ramaswamy witnessed first hand how quickly capitalism brought some parts of India out of poverty. He credits capitalism with essentially destroying the caste system and takes this as an example of how capitalism has the power to transform much more about society than its wealth. Not all of this transformation is destined to be good, however. For example, Ramaswamy describes how capitalism led Indian families to live and grow apart and to more consideration about who owed what money to whom within a family. In general, Ramaswamy's recounting of personal experiences throughout the book make it clear how he ties anti-woke theory to his personal experiences.
Ramaswamy's central thesis is that businesses should just aim to maximize profit rather than look for a tradeoff between that and also working toward social good. Ramaswamy thinks it is up to the democratic process to decide social good not c-suite executives or Black Rock retirement fund managers. Ramaswamy writes that LLCs are given a tremendous legal advantages in society in which owners are shielded from liabilities resulting from a corporation's actions. Think of the Sackler family. Ramaswamy argues that since this does not apply to regular members of society, without anything acting to check to this power corporations would risk having too much power in society beyond their business areas. Ramaswamy argues that this was recognized when LLCs were first conceived and back then there was the understanding that the way to check this danger was that corporations would just focus on maximizing profit in their limited line of business. Ramaswamy describes how corporate charters were at first narrow but have generally now expanded to include any legal business activity. Ramaswamy also describes, in detail, how corporations are now gaining undo societal influence by moving focus away from profit maximization.
Key to Ramaswamy's notion of undo corporate influence is his notion of a "managerial class" which is becoming increasingly powerful. Ramaswamy argues that these c-suite managers generally have less ownership in the companies they work for than its founders and shareholders and, as such, their interests are misaligned. Rather than having their primary interest in maximizing profit their interest is in maximizing their reputation and, hence, power in society and their long terms careers. Ramaswamy discusses how people in this class will typical move fluidly between corporate management, public service, including the military, non-profits, and government. Ramaswamy argues that wokeism has provided corporate managers with unique opportunities to make it unclear exactly what their goals are: If it is not to maximize profit they can say that the interests of some stakeholder in society is more important. Since there are multiple stakeholders it is generally unclear which stakeholder's interest is of greatest interest and the managerial class can use the ambiguity to do what they want and which is best for their long term careers.
Ramaswamy argues that "stakeholder capitalism" gives corporate leaders a tool to do something they were previously much more limited in. Once you are Mark Zuckerberg you have, practically, infinite money but that money, or even getting more of it, will not win you reputation and, hence, power outside of your company. Wokeism, however, allows you to become a champion of social justice to enhance your reputation and gain that power.
Ramaswamy also argues that wokeism allows governments to get corporations to do what they would like to do but which legal restraints prevent them from being able to do. For example, censoring conservatives on social media sites. Because of the incestuous relations between non-profits, government, and corporate elites, wokeism gives cover to "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" situations. A particularly maddening example Ramaswamy's cites is how corporations were fined billions of dollars arising from the global financial crisis but were able to donate to Democrat approved charities, have a multiplier greater than one applied to those payments, and gain reputation and tax deductions along the way. Sometimes the charities agreed to were even the prosecutors' and judges' own alma maters!
The strongest parts of the book are Ramaswamy's arguments that wokeism can be fought through existing laws. One example is using legal rulings that corporations must put maximization of profits ahead of other concerns. Ramaswamy also argues that social media companies have a duty to protect free speech to extent that it protected by the first amendment and they cannot argue that they can be more restrictive due to the fact that they are private companies. Ramaswamy bases this on legal rulings that governments cannot use private companies to get around constitutional restrictions including through the threat of legal/regulatory action. For folks who hate corporate DEI seminars there is good news: Ramaswamy also argues that wokeism meets the legal definition of a religion and, hence, businesses cannot force their employer to attend these seminars.
If you take "the best of" this book it is definitely 5/5 stars. There were, however, some problems. For example, I found that some examples that Ramaswamy used were not good. For example, Ramaswamy repeatedly invokes the notion that Goldman Sachs was "bailed out" during the global financial crisis. During Senate testimony, however, Goldman Sachs said that they did not feel they needed a loan but were forced to take one anyway. (During the Great Depression loans were not required of all banks. Investors and short sellers then took this as a list of which banks were the vulnerable ones. During the global financial crisis Hank Paulson wanted to avoid this.) Indeed, Goldman argued that their riskiest bets were insured and, in some cases, even double insured should one of insurers itself go bust. Another poorly chosen example was when Robinhood restricted buying of Gamestop stock but continued to allow selling. Ramaswamy scoffs at Robinhood's claim that it had no choice due to margin requirement laws: if there really was a problem why not halt all trading? But what would have happened if Robinhood had also halted selling as the stock plunged? Would there not be complaints that stock holders could not get out? To believe that Robinhood's actions were the main cause of the drop seems to give its customers more market power than they have. More likely is that buying in, at that, point would have got even more late comers burnt. It is also clear that allowing selling but not buying would alleviate margin problems while a general halt to trading would not.
Another problem with the book is that Ramaswamy, although <i>generally</i> presenting the woke position fairly, does not <i>always</i> provide the best counter arguments to his views. For example, he believes that employers should not be able to discriminate based on political beliefs. A good example arguing for allowing such discrimination would be to ask if employers should be allowed to refuse to hire out in the open KKK members?
A final problem with the book is that the potentially negative implications of corporations focusing only on profits are not explored. Would this mean greater government involvement in regulating the free market if corporations did not self-regulate? What negative consequences would that have? Or does he think that the free market will tend to find good solutions when left to itself and just maximizing profit? It is unclear where Ramaswamy stands on this question.
After reading this book it is clear to me that Ramaswamy is going to be one of the key players fighting wokeism going forward. Indeed, he recently opened up an anti-woke ETF now actively trading. I am looking forward to his future books and keeping up with his future battles against wokeism.
Top reviews from other countries
5 STARS TO VIVEK R





