Winners Take All

The Elite Charade of Changing the World

By: Anand Giridharadas

Narrated by: Anand Giridharadas

The New York Times bestselling, groundbreaking investigation of how the global elite's efforts to "change the world" preserve the status quo and obscure their role in causing the problems they later seek to solve. An essential read for understanding some of the egregious abuses of power that dominate today’s news.

Former New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas takes us into the inner sanctums of a new gilded age, where the rich and powerful fight for equality and justice any way they can--except ways that threaten the social order and their position atop it. We see how they rebrand themselves as saviors of the poor; how they lavishly reward "thought leaders" who redefine "change" in winner-friendly ways; and how they constantly seek to do more good, but never less harm. We hear the limousine confessions of a celebrated foundation boss; witness an American president hem and haw about his plutocratic benefactors; and attend a cruise-ship conference where entrepreneurs celebrate their own self-interested magnanimity.

Giridharadas asks hard questions: Why, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions it erodes by lobbying and dodging taxes? He also points toward an answer: Rather than rely on scraps from the winners, we must take on the grueling democratic work of building more robust, egalitarian institutions and truly changing the world. A call to action for elites and everyday citizens alike.

©2018 Anand Giridharadas (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A New York Times bestseller

Named one of The New York Times "100 Notable Books of 2018"

Named one of NPR's "Best Books of 2018"

Named one of the Financial Times "Books of the Year"

Named one of The Washington Post's "50 Notable Works of Nonfiction"

One of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Best International Nonfiction” books of 2018

One of the GreenBiz “10 Best Climate and Business Books of 2018”

800-CEO-READ Business Book of the Year

“Entertaining and gripping . . . For those at the helm, the philanthropic plutocrats and aspiring 'change agents' who believe they are helping but are actually making things worse, it’s time for a reckoning with their role in this spiraling dilemma. I suggest they might want to read a copy of this book while in the Hamptons this summer.” —Joseph E. Stiglitz, The New York Times Book Review

"Truly, a fascinating book that exposes the world we live in today."—Trevor Noah

Thank you

You help me out into words, what I felt for many years and have given me more works to read so that I may either my understanding of what I feel to be true.

Earth moving

A great book for anyone looking to making a dent in the world while learning the ins and outs of what currently makes it tick.

Who is best equipped to help the less fortunate?

This book offers great insight into how we live in a world where the most fortunate believe that only they can help the less fortunate. This mindset has created a system whereby the lives of the well to do have been protected and the less fortunate have reaped mediocre gains at best. The author argues that the only way inequality can be fixed is if those with resources spend time understanding the problems that the less fortunate face prior to taking action.

Incredible eye opener

Incredible eye opener, must read for anyone in or aspiring to be in the field of global health, international politics and development.

Highly Recommend!

This book was engaging, motivating and enlightening. I’d highly recommend it to anyone. It will help you think critically about the world’s problems and solutions, as well as how they are framed. Hopefully it will motivate you to think about solving problems at the root, rather than putting a band-aid on them. At the very least it will help you watch out for problem-creators who claim to be the solution.

Globalism Exposed

With first hand knowledge of the inside workings of the globalists the author exposes the hubris of the market do-gooders and the dirty little lie they tell themselves. That even though they are the cause of the problems they seek to solve, they are just part a system that cannot be changed.
Well written and performed by the author. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the win-win blather of the Davos crowd.

Challenged me to take a deeper look at my opinions..

Great book . Put into words things I felt and believed about the truth behind most philanthropy in America yet caused me to rethink my ideas about government. I realized that my definition of capitalism may not be THE definition of capitalism!!! Invites the reader to open closed areas of thinking and add new information without telling you what to think. I appreciate that he does not profess to have the answer .. I am going to have to ruminate on this read for a while so I can sort out the jumble it has caused in my opinions of government and market world .

A must read for our time

This should be mandatory reading for the current and next generation of civic, civil and business leaders. It is illuminating to the traps and fallacies of business and private solutions to public problems.

EXCELLENT BOOK!

Not an easy book to read. But relevant, challenging and thought provoking. Every day I see something in a debate or news story that reminds me of something I read in this book. I recommend the audio version if you're able to do that. A must read.

An uncharitable book about uncharitable behavior

This book packs a lot into it's pages. The author looks at the benevolent billionaires and their belief that they can solve all the problems in the world with a business minded approah. All social ills, economic struggles and societal failings are matters that are best addressed by business leaders and their profit minded axioms. They are wrong, of course, and this book explains why. The business maxim of win-win, and what is good for you - and your problems - is good for business is torn asunder and are shown for what it is: ineffectivetive. This philosophy of the wealthy doing right by the underlings, while helping their bottom line and disabling goverment, is a hindrance on modern society and this book let's us know why and how this came to be. From silican valley tech moguls to the global initiatives no stl e is left unturned. The writer peeks behind every curtain and under every bed with a wide scope of vision. He never forgets that actions have consequences. These benevolent riches are the architects of the financial collapse, arbitrarily increase prices on homes, said the everyman personal savings and answer to nobody. This is the kind of book that got writers in trouble in years past and the type we see too few of today. I'm glad it was written and written by such an academic and fair hand.