The Art of Business Wars
Battle-Tested Lessons for Leaders and Entrepreneurs from History's Greatest Rivalries
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Narrated by:
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David Brown
About this listen
"A ROLLICKING READ ABOUT THE CORPORATE WORLD'S GREATEST RIVALRIES." ADAM GRANT, New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Originals, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
Based on the chart-topping BUSINESS WARS podcast, here are the stories and lessons from history's greatest business rivalries - retold as you've never heard them before. Some of the companies here have been featured on the podcast, many are entirely new, and ALL of the material presents a fresh perspective, with each chapter thematically inspired by a chapter of Sun Tzu's classic, The Art of War.
From the pocket showdown of iPhone vs Blackberry to the epic stand-off of Beats vs Monster, The Art of Business Wars goes deep into the business trenches to explore the stories behind the stories. In this gripping study of triumph and disaster, you'll discover the real-life love spat between the co-founders of Tinder which led to the creation of its competitor Bumble, the battle of the fast fashion giants H&M and Zara where speed is everything, how Wrigley almost bit off more than it could chew, and Nintendo leveled up in America. With these and many more tales from business battlefields all over the world The Art of Business Wars reveals the strategies, positioning, dirty tricks, and eye for exploiting vulnerabilities, that make the difference between success and failure.
David Brown, host of the hit podcast Business Wars, masterfully frames some of the biggest business rivalries in history using the wisdom and pragmatic advice of revered Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu. Each battle Brown examines tells a story of contending wits, strategies, and resources. He chronicles the rise of companies as they formulate innovative plans, vanquish foes, and adapt to shifting societal needs. The goal: stay ahead of the competition and emerge victorious as an industry titan.
Compiling powerful insights uncovered over hundreds of episodes and more than a year of in-depth research, Brown offers an extraordinary formula for victory woven into a series of gripping, real-life tales straight from the business trenches. The stories in The Art of Business Wars are fascinating, but the lessons we draw from them - about determination, ingenuity, patience, grit, subtlety, and other key traits that contribute to a victorious enterprise - are invaluable, whether you're a software-slinging freelancer or the CEO of a multinational corporation.
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- Anonymous User
- 10-24-21
Review 5/5
Thoughts:
🐨 This was such an accessible, informative book highlighting 26 businesses in various sectors as they competed with each other, with technology and with themselves in order to survive and thrive in the ever changing global economy.
🐨 It was a collection of how organisations continued to innovate, and engage in the sector but I particularly enjoyed discovering companies’ origin stories. The book does include narratives of organisations that are covered in the podcast, but goes into greater depth than is possible in a short podcast episode.
🐨 I really enjoyed reading Netflix’s rise to glory, and how Blockbuster lost out on success because they were not willing to change the way they ran their company.
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