The Billionaire and the Mechanic by Julian Guthrie - A 300-Word Book Review
How Larry Ellison and a car mechanic teamed up to win sailing’s greatest race, the America’s Cup, twice.
Rating: 8/10
Pages: 399
Time To Finish: 8 days - 50 pages/day
Where To Purchase: Amazon
What is it about?
Larry Ellison, the billionaire who founded Oracle, is also an excellent server. He takes it upon himself to start a team, Oracle Team USA, and competes in the America’s Cup. Although he doesn’t race in every race, he does indeed compete and win. His team won the America’s Cup twice. It’s pretty incredible.
But what about the mechanic?
The mechanic, Norbert Bajurin, found himself as the commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club. A club which was in massive debt. When the neighbouring club denied Larry Ellison’s offer to compete through their club, Norbert reached out, making an offer Larry couldn’t refuse. The unlikely partnership led to the Golden Gate Yacht club thriving, and Larry winning.
My favorite parts
I find it fascinating to see how Larry’s highly competitive personality helps him win on yet another playing field. It just goes to show that some people are born winners.
There are also some stories about Larry and Steve Jobs. I’m a sucker for Steve Jobs stories.
Who should read it?
The book is a great story in general. I read it because Larry Ellison interests me in general. But anyone who enjoys an underdog story or sports story will also enjoy this.
Additional thoughts
There is a lot of inspiration to draw out of this book. It’s not easy to step out of what you are good at, to go on a bold side mission.
Thanks for reading