The Money Trap

Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble

De: Alok Sama

Narrado por: Raza Jaffrey

This program is read by Raza Jaffrey, best known for his role in Homeland.

A gripping and entertaining memoir that shines a rare light on an industry that is disrupting our lives.

Veteran Morgan Stanley banker Alok Sama thought he'd seen it all. Then he found himself chief dealmaker at the most influential technology investor in the world—SoftBank, the backer of Arm Holdings, Yahoo, Nvidia, TikTok, Uber, T-Mobile, Alibaba and WeWork.

The Money Trap is Sama’s thrilling, stranger-than-fiction personal odyssey featuring his experiences alongside SoftBank’s iconic founder, Masayoshi Son, a visionary maverick who wants to be remembered as “the crazy guy who bet on the future” and whose mission is “happiness for everyone.” Sama takes the listener on a wild journey as he consorts with A-list CEOs and heads of state, and negotiates mega-deals on a Gulfstream jet, Son’s sanctuary with its exquisite Japanese garden, and a waterside restaurant in the Turkish Riviera—all while contending with a mysterious dark-arts smear campaign that takes a toll on his private life.

This fascinating and humorous saga provides a unique insider perspective on the insanity of high finance and venture investing. Written with self-deprecating wit, unflinching honesty and searing introspection, The Money Trap is ultimately a morality tale: in life, as in technology investing, more money isn’t always the answer.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 Alok Sama (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A riveting page-turner about the world of technology and dealmaking told by an insider…An immigrant's story with something significant to say about class, character, identity, family, and perhaps more than anything, the search for happiness.”—Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Everything Is Illuminated

“An existential and exquisitely satisfying business thriller…A wonderful story that begins with big business and big deals and ends with the biggest question: what does it mean to be a person? Sama brings a pure writerly eye into rooms and situations never before captured in print. This is a thrilling and important book: the incredible thing is that it’s all true.”—David Lipsky, New York Times bestselling author of Absolutely American and Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself

“Sama writes with authority and panache, humor and outrage, and above all knowledge. (Imagine Michael Lewis had been President of SoftBank.) This man knows a lot, and he’s willing to share—and to make sure you have a great time as he does. If this book doesn't become a bestseller, the world truly makes no sense.”—Darin Strauss, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of Half a Life

It is a business book written as a drama/investigative narrative

I liked the way he built this story around mega deals he was involved, the personalities and the police sort of flavour

Expected and unexpected at every turn

A very human story about the inhumane upper reaches of global investing. Sometimes horrifying in its excess, sometimes poignant in its self deprecation, this is a story of dimension and depth.

Finally a book I can recommend

it's such a rare delight for the ears and your mind, seeing such a thrilling story of a well renowned and well established person who came a long way across billions of dollars in trust funds and global deals only to realize that there is more to life than raking in more and more money was inspiring and sheds a light on another side of this life where what only matters is the next successful bet. a great read that a guarantee

A story about life

This is how it is, the humor, the human level inner thoughts shared. The growth of the maturing mind and the ease with which becomes accustomed to inflation is numbers in the game, all while staying true to the being you are. The hunter (or wolf) or the Cook (the caretaker) In good tradition with the accounts of the world of money this is film material

Insider’s view of what was happening at SoftBank Vision Fund

Entertaining and funny. A somewhat light hearted insider’s view of what was happening at SoftBank and the $100bn Vision Fund.

Engaging, Honest and Personal

Very much enjoyed and benefited from technology investing insights, including Masayoshi Son’s investing intuition and framework. Very well written book.

Entertaining and incredibly well written

What a fantastic way to illustrate a crazy journey in the world of finance, it felt as if Alok was enriched by the journey, rather than becoming a prisoner of his past. Loved listening to this one, incredibly timely as well.

All form, no substance

Alok Sama really wants to write. Alok Sama writes well. But style alone is not enough. The reverence to his former master and his present millions neuter the opportunity to learn something meaningful about the people, the culture and the market he’s telling the story of. We are left with a list of fine wines and Michelin starred restaurants. All form, no substance.

Kept waiting for it to get exciting... but it never did.

Just very high level deals that he brokered gone over, but no meat or anything interesting.