Weekly Bookmarks –
173rd Edition – March 24, 2025
I went to prison for my hacking. Now people hire me to do the same things I went to prison for, but in a legal and beneficial way.
Kevin D. Mitnick, Ghost in the Wires
1. The Book on NVIDIA
When I think of NVIDIA, gaming, graphics, and now AI spring to mind. I’m also reminded of the recent $600 billion haircut on their market capitalization when their stock dropped 17% in one day only a few weeks ago.
Does this mean the recently released book, The Nvidia Way, is already irrelevant? On a recent podcast with The Motley Fool, the author told listeners that the early days were like a Good Will Hunting story.
The best story in the book is when the founders are at death’s door. One of their chips has failed, funding has dried up, and a key partner has stepped away. The founders talk Dell and other PC makers to take a chance on a redesigned chip, and the rest is history–a major win for its resilient founders.
The book’s first half is story-driven, full of drama and intrigue, as one might expect with a fledgling startup. The book started to wane in the second half, but I’m not a tech person, a section that software and hardware engineers will probably enjoy.
The book was released last December.
Learn how Nvidia played the longest of long games, repeatedly creating new markets and outmaneuvering competitors, including the original semiconductor giant Intel, which now finds itself well behind the upstart.
2. Why Did They Do It?
CFO Dive reports that the former owner and their ex-CFO pleaded guilty to an $80 million wire fraud and bank fraud conspiracy. This case reminds me of the one Gary Weiss wrote about in his book Retail Gangster, which explores Crazy Eddie’s rise and fall.
But why do these people defraud the companies they work for? If only the answer were simple. My favorite book on this topic is The Thief in Your Company by Tiffany Couch, a former guest on the podcast. Her book does not fail to address the behavioral aspects of those robbing a company before and during these thefts.
The Thief in Your Company will educate and entertain you, tug at your heartstrings, and persuade you to implement the author's time-tested security blueprint. Forensic accountant Tiffany Couch is a sleuth with an adding machine. She has seen theft in many forms, but what sticks with her the most is not the fraud schemes or the dollar losses.
3. Is KKR’s Employee Ownership Thinking Too Limiting?
One of the first ten meaningful business books I read in the early 1990s was The Great Game of Business. Since then, I’ve read dozens of books on ESOPs and open-book thinking for employees. The latest book in this genre is one I recommend if you like these types of stories: Foundational Leadership: Growth Doesn’t Start at the Top by Robert Griggs.
Robert’s story checks all of the boxes for a CEO business biography. It’s entertaining, relevant, and informative. The open-book origin story even ties back to the book mentioned above, The Great Game of Business. Robert ends the book by describing his company’s move to employee ownership, specifically an ESOP.
Had you mentioned KKR and employee ownership in the same sentence a year ago, I would have said, “No way, you are crazy.” Remember Barbarians at the Gate?
However, one KKR partner has become a crusader for employee ownership, and a few of their success stories have made national headlines. Below is one of my favorite stories by 60 Minutes. If you watch it, let me know if you spotted a glaring omission as I did.
4. Ghost In The Wires Wore Me Out Again
I started my Audible subscription in 2012, and one of the first books I listened to was the first of many that would lead me to want more well-told true-crime narrative nonfiction books. I recently listened to Ghost In The Wires again, and it’s still a five-star experience.
Kevin Mitnick’s journey to becoming the FBI’s most wanted hacker is a paradoxical crime story. I found myself pulling for him as he continually fled law enforcement agencies, including the FBI (I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it).
He was a likable thief similar to Robin Hood, with one notable difference. This gifted and notorious computer hacker did not steal money or give potential fortunes to third parties. He hacked for the fun of it and the mental challenge, and then he’d move on to the next big project.
The biggest takeaway in this fast-paced drama is the concept of social engineering. When I first listened to the book, I had never heard of this term before, and based on these statistics, this form of penetrating soft defenses of critical and sensitive data we wish to safeguard is not going away.
Ghost in the Wires is a thrilling true story of intrigue, suspense, and unbelievable escapes -- and a portrait of a visionary who forced the authorities to rethink the way they pursued him, and forced companies to rethink the way they protect their most sensitive information.
5. A Basketball Break
We’ve reached the heart of March Madness in the U.S., so what about a quick break from business and books? This time of the year, I’m reminded of my three favorite basketball movies:
I’m not sure it counts, but my honorable mention is Finding Forrester because of the great cast and the excellent plot for us readers.
These David and Goliath stories remind me of small business owners. Lots of competition, difficulties in overcoming obstacles, and trial after trial until the Davids find a leader who believes in them and gives them a blueprint to win.
What are your favorite basketball movies?
Random Bookmarks: 121 | 88 | 49
Thank You
Thank you for reading. If you like the content above and the posts at CFO Bookshelf, may I ask a favor? Feel free to share this with other readers and comment on your favorite LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.
Take care, and have a great week. Always be learning.
