An anthology Malcolm Gladwell has called "riveting and indispensable,"
The Best Business Writing
is a far-ranging survey of business's dynamic relationship with politics, culture, and life. This year's selections include John Markoff (
New York Times
) on innovations in robot technology and the decline of the factory worker; Evgeny Morozov (
New Republic
) on the questionable value of the popular TED conference series and the idea industry behind it; Paul Kiel (
ProPublica
) on the ripple effects of the ongoing foreclosure crisis; and the infamous op-ed by Greg Smith, published in the
, announcing his break with Goldman Sachs over its trading practices and corrupt corporate ethos.
Jessica Pressler (
New York
) delves into the personal and professional rivalry between Tory and Christopher Burch, former spouses now competing to dominate the fashion world. Peter Whoriskey (
Washington Post
) exposes the human cost of promoting pharmaceuticals off-label. Charles Duhigg and David Barboza (
) investigate Apple's unethical labor practices in China. Max Abelson (
Bloomberg
) reports on Wall Street's amusing reaction to the diminishing annual bonus. Mina Kimes (
Fortune
) recounts the grisly story of a company's illegal testing—and misuse—of a medical device for profit, and Jeff Tietz (
Rolling Stone
) composes one of the most poignant and comprehensive portraits of the financial crisis's dissolution of the American middle class.