The New Imperialists Author:Mark Leibovich, Mark Leibovich Up close and personal with the New Economys business tycoons Microsofts Bill Gates, AOL-Time Warners Steve Case, Amazon.coms Jeff Bezos, Oracles Larry Ellison, Ciscos John Chamberstheyre business titans of the 21st century. We know their names well enough, but what do we really know about these me... more »n beyond the multitudes of short-hand mythologies and soundbites that currently exist. How were they able to muster the savvy and confidence to create such empires of wealth and power? What do the paths they took say about the economic realm they came to conquer? Were they true visionaries or creations of a unique moment in time? Drawing from his Pulitzer Prize-nominated series of articles in The Washington Post, Mark Leibovich provides particularly personal and in-depth profiles on these larger-than-life moguls. Presenting five whirlwind tours through five gale-force lives, this extraordinary book traces the formative events and influences in each mans early life to explain how they came to dominate in this bizarre, revolutionary world. In addition to unprecedented access to each man himself (a privilege afforded very few reporters), Leibovich interviewed over 400 friends, childhood mentors, family members, former bosses, classmates, colleagues, and rivals who have known these uniquely driven souls at various stages of their lives. Exclusive facts and details: Gates spoke of breaking into tears during a Microsoft board meeting at the height of the anti-trust trial Ellison showed the author the $100 million Japanese-style compound hes building in Silicon Valley (no journalist had ever seen it) A friend of Case described him boasting about his long-sought takeover of Time-Warner Cisco Chairman John Morgridge complained that Chambers was spending too much time hobnobbing with politicians and not enough time tending to his struggling company Topics rarely--if ever--discussed: Gates speaking about the pain of losing his childhood best friend Ellison reflecting on the recurring scorn he received from his father Bezos talking about never knowing his natural father Chambers explaining the pain of his childhood dyslexia Case speaking about his rivalry with his AOL co-founder After its all broken down, from the dazzle of the new technology to the titillation of overnight wealth and cautionary tales of subsequent loss, the New Economy can be distilled to these five cults of personality. Sure to be the seasons most compulsive read, this comprehensive work gives readers the most definitive look ever into the lives of the New Economys signature pioneers.« less