
Power Failure
The Rise and Fall of an American Icon
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Narrated by:
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Eric Jason Martin
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By:
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William D. Cohan
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
The New Yorker Best Books of 2022 • Financial Times Best Books of 2022 • The Economist Best Books of 2022
The dramatic rise—and unimaginable fall—of America's most iconic corporation by New York Times bestselling author and pre-eminent financial journalist William D. Cohan
No company embodied American ingenuity, innovation, and industrial power more spectacularly and more consistently than the General Electric Company. GE once developed and manufactured many of the inventions we take for granted today, nearly everything from the lightbulb to the jet engine. GE also built a cult of financial and leadership success envied across the globe and became the world’s most valuable and most admired company. But even at the height of its prestige and influence, cracks were forming in its formidable foundation.
In a masterful re-appraisal of a company that once claimed to “bring good things to life,” pre-eminent financial journalist William D. Cohan argues that the incredible story of GE’s rise and fall is not only a paragon, but also a prism through which we can better understand American capitalism. Beginning with its founding, innovations, and exponential growth through acquisitions and mergers, Cohan plumbs the depths of GE's storied management culture, its pioneering doctrine of shareholder value, and its seemingly hidden blind spots, to reveal that GE wasn't immune from the hubris and avoidable mistakes suffered by many other corporations.
In Power Failure, Cohan punctures the myth of GE, exploring in a rich narrative how a once-great company wound up broken and in tatters—a cautionary tale for the ages.
©2022 William D. Cohan (P)2022 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"An epic piece of work."—MIKE BARNICLE, MSNBC Morning Joe
"A riveting, magisterial work of business history."—FAST COMPANY
“A sweeping tale of ambition, arrogance, egos, and feuds—and how they brought down a once-great company.”—KIRKUS REVIEWS
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Very vivid storytelling!
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An electric read
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Been a shareholder since 93
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The story unfolded in such an unexpected manner, that I couldn’t stop listening. I just had to hear what happens next.
Fantastic
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Bombs. He misses a key point, both Welch and Immelt sat on the Board of Directors for the NY Fed, so Immelt was not unfamiliar with Bank supervision. All in all a well
Done cautionary tale about corporate hubris and greed.
Great telling of a sad story
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Good deep dive into GE’s implosion
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Well written but cannot stand listening to the narrator
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Karma bites back.
Big business bigger egos
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Riveting & woeful corporate tale
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Really great. Couldn’t stop
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