Flash Crash by Liam Vaughan Summary
Overview of Flash Crash
How a lone trader from his bedroom triggered a trillion-dollar market meltdown. "Flash Crash" exposes Wall Street's algorithmic vulnerabilities, soon to be a Dev Patel film. As Bethany McLean asks: "How could one person crash the world's most sophisticated financial system?"
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Key takeaways
When a Trillion Dollars Vanished in Minutes
On May 6, 2010, the impossible happened. In less than five minutes, a trillion dollars evaporated from U.S. stock markets before mysteriously reappearing. Procter & Gamble shares plummeted from $62 to $39 in seconds. Apple stock briefly traded at $100,000 per share. The financial world watched in horror, paralyzed by a phenomenon no one could explain. For five years, the Flash Crash remained Wall Street's greatest mystery-until investigators traced the chaos back to an unlikely source: a socially awkward day trader working from his childhood bedroom in suburban London. Navinder Singh Sarao had never attended business school, never worked for a bank, and never even visited America. Yet somehow, this solitary figure had developed a technique so effective at manipulating markets that it would briefly break the entire global financial system. The S&P 500 dropped 5 percent in four minutes. Individual stocks traded at absurd prices-some at pennies, others at $100,000 per share. After a five-second trading halt, markets mysteriously recovered almost as quickly as they'd fallen, but the damage was done. A trillion dollars had briefly vanished, and no one knew why.
The Accidental Millionaire and His Lucky Break
When the Machines Took Over and Nav Fought Back
Building the Perfect Deception
The Investigation That Changed Everything
The Arrest and the Folk Hero
The Price of Genius and What It Means for All of Us
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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