When McKinsey Comes to Town by Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe Summary
Overview of When McKinsey Comes to Town
Behind McKinsey's elite facade lurks a darker truth. Two NYT investigative journalists expose how the world's most powerful consulting firm turbocharges opioid sales and serves controversial clients. "Panoramic and devastating" (Patrick Radden Keefe) - this expose redefines corporate accountability.
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Key takeaways
The Invisible Hand That Shapes Your World
A father of two comes home from his shift at a steel mill. Within months, he's dead-electrocuted on equipment that hadn't been properly maintained. A grandmother in rural Kentucky takes her prescribed pain medication, unaware she's stepping onto a path that leads to addiction and despair. A young consultant at the world's most prestigious firm discovers the "change that matters" she was promised means helping coal companies maximize profits while the planet burns. These stories aren't isolated tragedies. They're connected by invisible threads leading back to the same place: a consulting firm so powerful yet so secretive that most people have never heard its name, even as it quietly reshapes everything from your healthcare costs to your job security. McKinsey & Company operates where power concentrates-in corporate boardrooms, government offices, and the inner circles of authoritarian regimes. With 34,000 employees across 65 countries, this elite firm attracts the brightest minds with an irresistible pitch: not just wealth and prestige, but the chance to solve the world's toughest problems. Yet this promise of purpose masks a troubling reality. McKinsey's fingerprints appear on some of modern society's most devastating failures, from the opioid epidemic to historic wealth inequality. The firm's genius lies in its business model-give advice, not orders, then disappear before consequences arrive.
When the Consultants Arrive, Workers Pay
The Seduction of Idealism
Engineering Inequality
Turbocharging the Opioid Crisis
The Accountability Vacuum
Reckoning With Power
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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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