Bloomberg by Bloomberg
, subject: Michael Bloomberg autobiography and Bloomberg L.P. business history, 1997
Bloomberg argues that a company's real product is not the device that delivers it, and that plans should bend through small advances rather than follow a fixed route.
About the book
Bloomberg recounts his departure from Salomon Brothers, the creation of a customer-focused financial-information terminal, and the management, technology, and media decisions behind Bloomberg L.P.
Why read it
Best if you are deciding what your company's real product is, how rigidly to hold a plan, or how the work you publish could double as a demonstration of what you sell.
Key themes
- Know the product, not the device
- Small advances over long-range plans
- Every story is a demo
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #228, #229, #360, #433
This record is supported by 24 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- Michael Bloomberg — David connects Bloomberg's lessons to prior Founders coverage of Geffen's biography and Carnegie's autobiography.
- Sidney Harman (Founder of Harman Kardon) — David says reading Bloomberg's autobiography prompted him to consider private-company share repurchases.
- Robert Kierlin: Founder of Fastenal — David uses Bloomberg's examples of Kodak and financial information to explain why a business must distinguish its enduring purpose from changing delivery technology.
- How Michael Bloomberg Works — David identifies Bloomberg's autobiography as the book discussed in this episode.