Meticulously researched and character driven, Smartest Guys in the Room takes the reader deep into Enron's past-and behind the closed doors of private meetings. Now, McLean and Elkind have investigated much deeper, to offer the definitive book about the Enron scandal and the fascinating people behind it. But that was before Fortune published an article by McLean that asked a seemingly innocent question: How exactly does Enron make money? From that point on, Enron's house of cards began to crumble.

Remarkably, it was just two years ago that Enron was thought to epitomize a great New Economy company, with its skyrocketing profits and share price. Today, Enron is the biggest business story of our time, and Fortune senior writers Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind are the new Woodward and Bernstein. And thirty years later, if you're going to read only one book on Watergate, that's still the one. Today, Enron is the biggest business story of our time, and Fortune senior writers Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind a There were dozens of books about Watergate, but only All the President's Men gave readers the full story, with all the drama and nuance and exclusive reporting. 'Fiercely intelligent, terrifying and absurdly funny… It’s a bracing portrait of American power-lust run amok.There were dozens of books about Watergate, but only All the President's Men gave readers the full story, with all the drama and nuance and exclusive reporting. Enron contributed mightily to Bush campaign coffers, but once its $30 billion debt emerged from a maze of creative accountancy, the corporation went from being the New Economy poster child to its Frankenstein monster.” - J. Bush called him, ‘Kenny Boy’) and administered by the Harvard-educated macho man Jeffrey Skilling, whose Gordon Gekkoid business philosophy advocated unlimited greed.

“Less corporate noir than capitalist disaster film… Alex Gibney's soberly entertaining documentary – adapted from the book by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind – provides a full account of the deregulatin' Texas con men who, reporting imaginary profits while concealing real losses, rode the bull market into America's largest bankruptcy… America's ‘most innovative company’ (per Fortune), Enron was created by preacher's son Ken Lay (or as George W. A riveting beginner’s guide to the mind-boggling Enron crash.

Enron the smartest guys in the room