The Smartest Guys in the Room

<p>What went wrong with American business at the end of the 20th century?<br><br>Until the spring of 2001 Enron epitomized the triumph of the New Economy. Feared by rivals worshipped by investors Enron seemingly could do no wrong. Its profits rose every year; its stock price surged ever upward; its leaders were hailed as visionaries. <br><br>Then a young Fortune writer Bethany McLean wrote an article posing a simple question - how exactly does Enron make its money?<br><br>Within a year Enron was facing humiliation and bankruptcy the largest in US history which caused Americans to lose faith in a system that rewarded top insiders with millions of dollars while small investors lost everything. It was revealed that Enron was a company whose business was an illusion an illusion that Wall Street was willing to accept even though they knew what the real truth was. This book - fully updated for the paperback - tells the extraordinary story of Enron's fall.</p>