The First Billion Is the Hardest by T. Boone Pickens: 9780307396013 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books (2024)

It’s Never Too Late to Top Your Personal Best.

Both a riveting account of a life spent pulling off improbable triumphs and a report back from the front of the global-energy and natural-resource wars, The First Billion Is the Hardest tells the story of the remarkable late-life comeback that brought the famed oilman and maverick back from bankruptcy and clinical depression. Along the way, the man often called the “Oracle of Oil” shares the insights that have made him a legend–and describes the billion-dollar bets he is now making in hopes of securing America’s energy independence.

“Sassy…breezes along…salted with earthy aphorisms.”—Bloomberg Businessweek

“Boone’s analysis of America’ s energy situation is 100 percent on the money….The country should listen to him– now!” —Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

“Self-deprecating and audacious…overall, it’s decidedly informative about the machinations of business.” –Dallas Morning News

“A fascinating, eye-opening book by one of America’s greatest iconoclasts and entrepreneurs. Boone Pickens’ sense of daring and innovation has never been sharper.”–Steve Forbes, president and CEO, Forbes Inc., and editor in chief of Forbes magazine

It’s Never Too Late to Top Your Personal Best.

Both a riveting account of a life spent pulling off improbable triumphs and a report back from the front of the global-energy and natural-resource wars, The First Billion Is the Hardest tells the story of the remarkable late-life comeback that brought the famed oilman and maverick back from bankruptcy and clinical depression. Along the way, the man often called the “Oracle of Oil” shares the insights that have made him a legend–and describes the billion-dollar bets he is now making in hopes of securing America’s energy independence.

“Sassy…breezes along…salted with earthy aphorisms.”—Bloomberg Businessweek

“Boone’s analysis of America’ s energy situation is 100 percent on the money….The country should listen to him– now!” —Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

“Self-deprecating and audacious…overall, it’s decidedly informative about the machinations of business.” –Dallas Morning News

“A fascinating, eye-opening book by one of America’s greatest iconoclasts and entrepreneurs. Boone Pickens’ sense of daring and innovation has never been sharper.”–Steve Forbes, president and CEO, Forbes Inc., and editor in chief of Forbes magazine

Now eighty years old, T. Boone Pickens is a legendary figure in the business world. Known as the “Oracle of Oil,” he built Mesa Petroleum, one of the largest independent oil companies in the United States. When Pickens left Mesa after a downward spiral in the company’s profits, many counted him out. What followed for him was the loss of 90 percent of his investing capital. But Pickens was far from out.

He went on to stage one of the most impressive comebacks in the industry, turning his investment fund’s remaining $3 million into $8 billion. That made him, at age seventy-seven, the world’s second-highest-paid hedge fund manager. Today, Pickens is making some of the world’s most colossal energy bets.

In this audiobook, Pickens not only presents a comprehensive plan for American energy independence but also provides a fascinating glimpse into key resources. The First Billion Is the Hardest is both a riveting account of a life spent pulling off improbable triumphs and a report back from the front of the global energy and natural-resource wars.

With a Plan for Reducing U.S. Oil Dependency

It’s never too late to top your personal best.

Now eighty years old, T. Boone Pickens is a legendary figure in the business world. Known as the “Oracle of Oil” because of his uncanny ability to predict the direction of fuel prices, he built Mesa Petroleum, one of the largest independent oil companies in the United States, from a $2,500 investment. In the 1980s, Pickens became a household name when he executed a series of unsolicited buyout bids for undervalued oil companies, in the process reinventing the notion of shareholders’ rights. Even his failures were successful in that they forced risk-averse managers to reconsider the way they did business.

When Pickens left Mesa at age sixty-eight after a spectacular downward spiral in the company’s profits, many counted him out. Indeed, what followed for him was a painful divorce, clinical depression, a temporary inability to predict the movement of energy prices, and the loss of 90 percent of his investing capital. But Pickens was far from out.

From that personal and professional nadir, Pickens staged one of the most impressive comebacks in the industry, turning his investment fund’s remaining $3 million into $8 billion in profit in just a few years. That made him, at age seventy-seven, the world’s second-highest-paid hedge fund manager. But he wasn’t done yet. Today, Pickens is making some of the world’s most colossal energy bets. If he has his way, most of America’s cars will eventually run on natural gas, and vast swaths of the nation’s prairie land will become places where wind can be harnessed for power generation. Currently no less bold than he was decades ago when he single-handedly transformed America’s oil industry, Pickens is staking billions on the conviction that he knows what’s coming. In this book, he spells out that future in detail, not only presenting a comprehensive plan for American energy independence but also providing a fascinating glimpse into key resources such as water—yet another area where he is putting billions on the line.

From a businessman who is extraordinarily humble yet is considered one of the world’s most visionary, The First Billion Is the Hardest is both a riveting account of a life spent pulling off improbable triumphs and a report back from the front of the global energy and natural-resource wars—of vital interest to anyone who has a stake in America’s future.