• The Greatest Capitalist Who Ever Lived

  • Tom Watson Jr. and the Epic Story of How IBM Created the Digital Age
  • By: Ralph Watson McElvenny, Marc Wortman
  • Narrated by: Donald Corren
  • Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (18 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Greatest Capitalist Who Ever Lived  By  cover art

The Greatest Capitalist Who Ever Lived

By: Ralph Watson McElvenny, Marc Wortman
Narrated by: Donald Corren
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $30.41

Buy for $30.41

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A riveting, first-ever, sweeping biography of Thomas Watson, Jr.—more important to the history and development of the modern world than Vanderbilt, Morgan, Rockefeller, and Carnegie—who risked everything, personally and professionally, to reinvent IBM and launch the computer age that created the world we live in today

Thomas Watson Jr. drove IBM to undertake the biggest gamble in business history with a revolution no other company of the age could dare—the creation in the 1960s of the IBM System/360, the world's first fully integrated and compatible mainframe computer that laid the foundation for the information technology future. Its success made IBM the most valuable company in America. Fortune magazine touted him as “the greatest capitalist who ever lived.” Time named him one of the “One Hundred People of the Century.”

Behind closed doors, Watson was a multifaceted, complicated man. As a young man, he was a failed student and playboy, an unlikely candidate for corporate titan. He pulled his life together as a courageous World War II pilot and took over IBM after his father’s death. He suffered from anxiety and depression so overwhelming that he spent days prostrate and locked in a bathroom at home while IBM faced crisis after crisis. And he carried out a family-shattering battle over the future of IBM with his brother Dick, who expected to follow him as CEO.

But despite his many demons, he laid the foundation for what eventually became the global information technology industry, which dominates today’s world. His story, and the industry he created, is equal to, if not more important than that of Rockefeller and Standard Oil, Vanderbilt and the railroads, and Morgan in finance.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Ralph Watson McElvenny and Marc Wortman (P)2023 PublicAffairs

More from the same

What listeners say about The Greatest Capitalist Who Ever Lived

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

A superficial history

Although interesting I found the history of the “Watson years” at IBM to be quite superficial. I kept wanting more depth and insight.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Spun but Interesting IBM Story

I enjoyed learning about IBM's history. But this book, written in part by a member of the Watson family, seemed heavily spun in favor of promoting the legacy of the patriarchs.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful