Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron
Encyclopedia
Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron is a book by Robert Bryce and published in 2002 by PublicAffairs
with an introduction by Molly Ivins
.
, its ties to George W. Bush
and the Bill Clinton
administrations. He also writes of the culture of excessive greed and sexual misconduct within the company's leadership.
Andrew Leonard writing for Salon
has said, "Bryce recapitulates how the press, the analysts, Enron's board of directors and its shareholders all bought into Enron's vision of itself. There were obvious reasons, as he points out, for the widespread collusion. The analysts worked for companies that also wanted Enron's investment banking business. The directors had companies of their own that were doing deals with Enron. The shareholders loved to see the stock price go up and up, and the business press, well, the business press loves a winner!"
William J. Holstein writing for The New York Times
has said, "Mr. Bryce, a writer who lives in Austin, Tex., delves deeply into the long relationship among President Bush, his father, and Kenneth L. Lay, the former chairman and chief executive of Enron, whom the younger Mr. Bush nicknamed, Kenny Boy."
PublicAffairs
PublicAffairs is an imprint of the Perseus Books Group, an American book publishing company located in New York City. From PublicAffairs' web site:...
with an introduction by Molly Ivins
Molly Ivins
Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins was an American newspaper columnist, populist, political commentator, humorist and author.-Early life and education:Ivins was born in Monterey, California, and raised in Houston, Texas...
.
Synopsis
In Pipe Dreams, Byrce writes of the rise and fall of EnronEnron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
, its ties to George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and the Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
administrations. He also writes of the culture of excessive greed and sexual misconduct within the company's leadership.
Reception
Fran Kelly on her radio national breakfast show for ABC said, "'Greed and sleaze' - that best sums-up America's largest corporate collapse. Enron was a breeding ground for some of the worst excesses the business world has seen. It wasn't uncommon for the company's directors to send corporate jets to pick up homesick daughters in Paris, or fly themselves to major sporting events. One Enron division even spent $4 million a year on flowers, alone. But the company's executives weren't only guilty of cheating on their shareholders. Many married staff were permanent fixtures in Houston's countless strip clubs. All this and more is documented in a new book Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron by Austin-based investigative reporter Robert Bryce."Andrew Leonard writing for Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
has said, "Bryce recapitulates how the press, the analysts, Enron's board of directors and its shareholders all bought into Enron's vision of itself. There were obvious reasons, as he points out, for the widespread collusion. The analysts worked for companies that also wanted Enron's investment banking business. The directors had companies of their own that were doing deals with Enron. The shareholders loved to see the stock price go up and up, and the business press, well, the business press loves a winner!"
William J. Holstein writing for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
has said, "Mr. Bryce, a writer who lives in Austin, Tex., delves deeply into the long relationship among President Bush, his father, and Kenneth L. Lay, the former chairman and chief executive of Enron, whom the younger Mr. Bush nicknamed, Kenny Boy."
See Also
- Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the FuturePower Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the FuturePower Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future is a book by Robert Bryce about energy, mainly from a United States perspective.It was published in 2010 by PublicAffairs...
- Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy IndependenceGusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy IndependenceGusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence is a book by Robert Bryce which was released in 2008 and is published by PublicAffairs.-Synopsis:...