Publisher Description
Now eighty years old, T. Boone Pickens is a legendary figure in the business world. Known as the “Oracle of Oil,” he built Mesa Petroleum, one of the largest independent oil companies in the United States. When Pickens left Mesa after a downward spiral in the company’s profits, many counted him out. What followed for him was the loss of 90 percent of his investing capital. But Pickens was far from out. He went on to stage one of the most impressive comebacks in the industry, turning his investment fund’s remaining $3 million into $8 billion. That made him, at age seventy-seven, the world’s second-highest-paid hedge fund manager. Today, Pickens is making some of the world’s most colossal energy bets. In this audiobook, Pickens not only presents a comprehensive plan for American energy independence but also provides a fascinating glimpse into key resources. The First Billion Is the Hardest is both a riveting account of a life spent pulling off improbable triumphs and a report back from the front of the global energy and natural-resource wars.
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“Wow. Seriously. Pickens is brilliant. He really knows how to make money. And is *reall* detached from regular folks it seems. He talks about having holes in his socks because he is frugal, but he flys his private jet around to make sure he doesn’t miss his alma mater’s football games…. go figure. More power to him I guess.[return][return]There isn’t really a ton for any of us to learn from this book I don’t think. However, it is a fascinating look into high finance and wealth.[return][return]It is also a must read because of his insider insights into the energy problems our country will be facing in the next decades. He pushes the technologies that he is invested in (understandably), but he makes a convincing case for the ‘energy war.’ He believes that or recent wars are all oil wars and that our president has a case for declaring war on our energy problems. He says that executive powers would be necessary to move us into alternative energy fast enough to save our status as a super power.[return][return]Definitely something to consider coming from a man who made billions in oil.”
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Toby (4 out of 5 stars)
