I Am John Galt Today's Heroic Innovators Building the World and the Villainous Parasites Destroying It

by Luskin, Donald; Greta, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9781118907535
• ISBN10: 1118907531
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-16
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Inspired by Ayn Rand's characters in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, penetrating profiles of both the innovators who move our world forward and those who seek to destroy the achievement of others

John Galt, the fictional character from Ayn Rand's bestselling novel, Atlas Shrugged, has come to embody the individualist capitalist who acts in his own enlightened self interest, and in doing so lifts the world around him. Some of today's most successful CEOs, journalists, sports figures, actors, and thinkers have led their lives according to Galt's (i.e., Rand's) philosophy.

Now, in I Am John Galt, these inspiring stories are gathered with the keen insight and analysis of well-known market commentator Donald Luskin and business writer Andrew Greta. Filled with exclusive interviews, profiles, and analyses of leading financial, business, and artistic stars who have based their lives, and careers, on the philosophy of the perennially popular Ayn Rand, this book both inspires and enlightens. On the other side are Rand's arch villains?the power-seekers, parasites, and lunatics who would destroy that which the creators and builders make. Who are today's anti-heroes, fighting the creativity of the innovators?

• Contains insightful interviews, profiles, and analyses of the individuals who have lived by a Randian code to achieve greatness for themselves and others
• Offers a probing analysis of those who seek to destroy or undo the achievements of others?from academics, pundits, and government bureaucrats to fraudsters who have wreaked havoc on our world

Engaging and entertaining, I Am John Galt examines how the inspiration that is Galt thrives more than 50 years after publication of Atlas Shrugged. It will spark the interest of Ayn Rand fans everywhere, as well as those seeking a way to succeed in today's turbulent and confusing times.

Author Biography

Donald L. Luskin (San Francisco, CA) is a high profile commentator appearing weekly on CNBC's "Kudlow Report" and author of "Ahead of the Curve" investment column for SmartMoney.com, the site's most popular weekly column. Luskin writes frequently for the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, blogs at "The Conspiracy to Keep You Poor and Stupid," and his commentaries and analysis appear in the National Review, Washington Post, and Reason magazine. He is chief investment officer at Trend Macrolytics LLC, an economic and investment strategy consulting firm serving the largest institutional investors. For over 25 years he has been a leading figure in investment management and financial markets, with senior executive positions at Wells Fargo, Barclays, and Investment Technology Group.

Andrew Greta (Chicago, IL) is a freelance author and business executive with more than 15 years of experience in the financial markets. Most recently, Greta led corporate & business development efforts at CME Group in Chicago - the world's largest and most diverse financial exchange. Previously, Greta served as Director, Global Business Development for General Electric (GE), where he led global mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and strategic partnership deals for one of GE's financial services divisions.
Andrew is a former Contributing Editor for TheStreet.com. His articles on finance and investing topics have appeared in numerous national publications including Stocks, Futures & Options (SFO) Magazine, DS News, ABCNews.com, Online Investor, and Individual Investor Magazine. He blogs with co-author Donald Luskin at iamjohngalt.com. Greta began his career as a Series 7 Financial Advisor with Prudential Securities and holds an MBA from the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife, Emily.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 The Individualist 17
Steve Jobs as Howard Roark, the man who reinvented four whole industries just because it was so cool
By Andrew Greta

Chapter 2 The Mad Collectivist 45
Paul Krugman as Ellsworth Toohey, the man who preaches socialism from the pages of America’s newspaper of record
By Donald L. Luskin

Chapter 3 The Leader 71
John Allison as John Galt, the man who walked away after building America's strongest bank
By Donald L. Luskin

Chapter 4 The Parasite 97
Angelo Mozilo as James Taggart, the businessman who corrupted government and nearly wrecked the U.S. economy
By Andrew Greta

Chapter 5 The Persecuted Titan 131
Bill Gates as Henry Rearden, the businessman who created revolutionary technologies and was criminalized for his success
By Andrew Greta

Chapter 6 The Central Planner 163
Barney Frank as Wesley Mouch, the politician who meddled in the economy and almost destroyed it
By Andrew Greta

Chapter 7 The Capitalist Champion 191
T. J. Rodgers as Francisco d'Anconia, the modern Renaissance man and agent provocateur for capitalism
By Andrew Greta

Chapter 8 The Sellout 219
Alan Greenspan as Robert Stadler, the libertarian who became an economic czar
By Donald L. Luskin

Chapter 9 The Economist of Liberty 239
Milton Friedman as Hugh Akston, the academic who showed the world the connection between capitalism and freedom
By Andrew Greta & Donald L. Luskin

Afterword 261

Notes 267

Acknowledgments 293

About the Authors 295

Index 297