A Book with Legs

Former Cazenove Chief Executive Robert Pickering joins Cole and Bill to discuss his book, Blue Blood: Cazenove in the Age of Global Banking. Pickering’s book dives into the distinctive history of the former prestigious investment bank. The conversation touches on Pickering’s first-hand experiences managing the company and how it ultimately became part of J.P. Morgan.

Mark Mills makes his second appearance on the podcast, this time to discuss his book, The Cloud Revolution: How the Convergence of New Technologies Will Unleash the Next Economic Boom and A Roaring 2020s. Mark’s work dissects how advancing technology will provide an economic upswing in the near future. The conversation covers the progress of recent technology and how the everchanging tech landscape will aid humanity moving forward.

Part 2

The second part of Cole and Bill’s conversation with Author Margaret O’Mara on her book, The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America, covers early software, manufacturers of AI and computers, and communications between technologies and people, as well as different technologies themselves. They take a deep dive into what really made Silicon Valley as we know it today.

Part 1

“Gilded age money is actually the money that fuels the growth of Silicon Valley.”

Author Margaret O’Mara joins Cole and Bill to discuss her book, The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America. O’Mara’s work tracks the history of the people who built Silicon Valley and the explosion of big tech in America. The conversation covers the institutions that provided the framework for innovation, the background of the pioneers, and the investors that supported this district.

Interested in what is on the Smead Capital Management book list? Listen in to hear Cole and Bill list the books they have recently read, what they’re currently reading, and the books they have on deck. Have a book you would like to recommend for the podcast? Email suggestions to [email protected].

“The globalization of the last forty years is changing. Overall, these changes will lead toward more regionalization.”

Author Shannon K. O’Neil joins Cole to discuss her book, The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter. Shannon’s work highlights the world’s shift to regionalization and the economic benefits that come along with it. The discussion covers why globalization is transforming and how regionalization is influencing economies around the world.

In this episode, Cole and Bill are joined by Perry Mehrling, author of the book, Money and Empire. Mehrling’s work tracks the life of Charles P. Kindleberger, an international economist from the twentieth century, whose deep interest in history and economics fed his appetite to learn how the global financial system worked. The conversation covers Kindleberger’s background and upbringing, his experiences in the world of finance, and understanding the current dollar framework of the world.

CNBC Senior Markets Correspondent Bob Pisani joins Cole and Bill to discuss his book, Shut Up and Keep Talking. Bob’s book is a collection of real-life stories and firsthand encounters over the course of his 33-year career in the financial industry. The conversation covers Bob’s time as a journalist, the technological evolution of the New York Stock Exchange, the major players and key investors Bob has come across, and the many investing lessons he’s learned along the way.

Author Amity Shlaes joined Bill and Cole for a live podcast recording at the 2023 Smead Investor Oasis to discuss her new book, Great Society. During their conversation, they discuss comparisons between the failure of the Great Society’s idealism of the 1960s and today's challenges. The conversation covers topics such as socialism, capitalism and today’s relevance to the thoughtless idealism of political leaders in history.

If you’re really in favor of more abundant resources, then you really have to be in favor of people having the freedom to innovate, discover, share, and consume knowledge.”

 Author Gale Pooley joins Cole to discuss his book, Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet. Along with co-author Marian Tupy, Gale’s research explores the way, contrary to popular belief, resources have become more abundant as the world’s population has grown. The conversation covers “time prices”, climate change, and how more people leads to more innovation.