The Money Trap (grand Fortunes And Lost Illusions Inside The Tech Bubble)

By (author) Sama, Alok
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The former President & CFO of SoftBank Group International takes us inside the elite, high-stakes world of tech investment.
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‘A riveting page-turner about the world of technology and dealmaking’ – Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

''An extraordinary account . . . details the thrills and horrors of the risks [Sama] so frequently took'' – Sunday Times

A gripping, wildly entertaining memoir that takes you behind the scenes of global business and shines a rare light on the people that are reshaping our world.

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, backer of Arm Holdings, Yahoo, Nvidia, TikTok, Uber, T-Mobile, Alibaba and WeWork.

The Money Trap is Sama’s thrilling, stranger-than-fiction story, detailing 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 reader on a wild ride as he consorts with billionaire CEOs and heads of state, negotiates mega-deals across the world and contends 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 an industry that continues to disrupt our daily lives, from ridesharing apps to OpenAI. 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] raffish and funny exposé of life on the highest peaks of finance . . . wittily observed . . . I imagine the financially ambitious reader drooling with pleasure'' - Wall Street Journal

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An extraordinary account . . . details the thrills and horrors of the risks [Sama] so frequently took
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A fascinating story about money, power and the culture of the rarified group of people who wield it. Told with self-deprecating humor, this is an entertaining and illuminating memoir about what it’s like to find yourself in the room as some of the biggest deals in history are being made
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[A] raffish and funny exposé of life on the highest peaks of finance . . . wittily observed . . . I imagine the financially ambitious reader drooling with pleasure
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A shot of adrenaline that takes you directly inside some of the most secretive rooms in tech and finance . . . a colourful insider’s look into the companies that rule our world
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An insider’s thrilling tale of dark corporate doings, a great how-to business text, a compendium of fun riffs on modern culture, a flashlight shone on the insanity of high finance . . . Sama writes with authority and panache, humor and outrage, and above all knowledge . . . If this book doesn’t become a bestseller, the world truly makes no sense
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Alok Sama’s witty, incisive and introspective writing is a genuine pleasure to read. This simultaneously funny and eye-opening memoir from a globe-trotting protagonist is a rare window onto a world most only hear about
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A riveting page-turner . . . an immigrant’s story with something significant to say about class, character, identity, family and, perhaps more than anything, the search for happiness
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A vivid and intimate story of an insider’s rise to power in the world of money – and his search to find his own peace and freedom
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An existential and exqui