MB
Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg L.P. · Bloomberg Philanthropies · 1942–
Born 1942
Michael Bloomberg co-founded a business built around financial information after losing his job at Salomon Brothers in 1981. He had joined the firm in 1966 and worked in trading, sales and computer systems. His autobiography describes the dismissal as unwanted. It also records the money he received from the sale of the partnership and the importance of the experience and mentors he took with him. The new company brought market information and analysis to financial professionals through a computer service. Bloomberg had worked inside the industry it served. He could approach the problem with knowledge of the user’s work as well as experience of the systems behind it. The business expanded into financial news and other media. The useful thread is the combination of information, analysis and a means to deliver them to people making decisions. His own account also examines ownership and incentives. At Salomon, partners had money tied up in the firm for years. Bloomberg argues that the sale changed that relationship and weakened a shared long-term interest. This is his interpretation of an institution he knew closely. It is useful for founders who must decide how control, rewards and staff commitment fit together. Bloomberg later moved into public service. First elected in 2001, he served three terms as New York City’s mayor from 2002 through 2013. He then returned to the business he had founded and continued his philanthropic work. His giving includes public health, education, the environment, the arts and government innovation. In 2018 he committed $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins to support admission without regard to ability to pay. His career offers a view of how a founder can use domain knowledge to build a product, then apply resources and operating experience in other fields.
Which books are linked to Michael Bloomberg?
These are examples from the documented shelf. Each label describes the connection; a book on the shelf is not always a recommendation.
- Principles by Ray Dalio — Publisher endorsement. Source
- Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World by Scott Harrison with Lisa Sweetingham — Publisher endorsement / recommendation. Source
- Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery by Steve Hindy and Tom Potter — Signed foreword contribution. Source
Contents
Career highlights
- 1966Joins Salomon Brothers after Harvard Business School.
- 1981Leaves Salomon Brothers after its sale and starts the company that becomes Bloomberg L.P.
- 1997Publishes Bloomberg by Bloomberg, with Matthew Winkler.
- 2001Wins election as mayor of New York City.
- 2002Takes office as mayor on January 1; serves three terms through 2013.
- 2018Gives $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins to support need-blind admission.
- 2019Wiley publishes the updated second edition of Bloomberg by Bloomberg.
- 2024Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Lessons for founders
- Use work experience to find a real customer problem. Bloomberg moved from trading and information systems into a financial information service. Know the customer’s task before choosing the product.
- Build the information service around the user’s decision. The business combined financial information and analysis. Collecting data is only part of the job; help the user make sense of it.
- Keep useful skills when a role ends. His memoir describes an unwanted dismissal followed by starting a firm. The end of a job does not remove the knowledge or relationships gained there.
- Check how a deal changes staff incentives. Bloomberg’s account of Salomon contrasts long-term partner capital with the arrangement after its sale. Review what key people gain by staying and building together.
- Make control rules before a dispute. The excerpt describes a sale made under rules that earlier leaders had chosen. Decide who can make a major decision before the result becomes personal.
- Give a broad goal a specific use for funds. His Johns Hopkins gift supported admission without regard to means. A clear purpose makes a large promise easier to understand and act on.
On the Founders podcast
3×Read about them
3
Purnick’s reported biography covers Bloomberg’s path through Wall Street and the creation of Bloomberg L.P., alongside his public career. It provides an outside account to compare with his autobiography. source ↗
Randolph’s account follows the Salomon career, the Bloomberg terminal and the company founder’s later work in city government and philanthropy. This is a biography, not a book Bloomberg is claimed to have read or endorsed. source ↗
Doctoroff’s account covers his work in the Bloomberg administration. Bloomberg publicly praised the book’s ideas in his September 28, 2017 post; no full-reading claim is made. source ↗
In their own words
2
His account of Salomon Brothers, starting Bloomberg and building the information business. Reuses the existing autobiography record; its 1997 ISBN is not the ISBN of the updated 2019 excerpt. source ↗
Bloomberg and Pope set out an approach to climate action through cities, firms and citizens. The operating fit includes the excerpt’s cases on permits, capital already spent and negotiations over energy supply. source ↗
Books on their shelf
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Publisher endorsementSimon & Schuster prints Bloomberg’s endorsement of Dalio’s approach to principles. This is a book-specific endorsement, not proof that he completed it or used its methods at Bloomberg. source ↗
Publisher endorsement / recommendationThe publisher prints Bloomberg’s recommendation to read the book for a change in career or mission. The shelf link rests on that endorsement; no completed reading or adoption of the charity’s model is claimed. source ↗
Signed foreword contributionBloomberg contributed the foreword, signed June 2005, and compared the startup story with his own experience. Steve Hindy and Tom Potter wrote the book; this link does not establish completed reading or use at Bloomberg. source ↗
Publisher endorsementThe publisher prints Bloomberg’s praise for the book’s combination of building a business and standing by beliefs. This proves an endorsement; his edition, completed reading and use at Bloomberg are unknown. source ↗
Repeated childhood reading in his memoirBloomberg recalls repeatedly reading Johnny Tremain as a child and visiting Boston sites it mentioned. His exact edition is unknown. source ↗
Discussed with students; reading not establishedOriginal 2012 reporting records Bloomberg asking students about this novel and discussing his taste for spy stories. The article also reports watching its adaptations. This does not prove that he completed the book. source ↗
Public praise reported in an original interviewThe original 2012 report quotes Bloomberg praising this novel during a classroom visit. It does not identify his edition or establish reading completion. source ↗
Reported readingThe original 2012 report includes Caro’s book in Bloomberg’s reading. This is the reporter’s account, not a quoted recommendation; his copy and reading extent are unknown. source ↗
Reported gifts to friends and colleaguesThe original 2012 report says Bloomberg gave this book to friends and colleagues. A gift is recorded separately from a completed reading or an account of how he used it. source ↗
In-progress reading reported by his spokesmanIn the original January 2012 report, a City Hall spokesman says Bloomberg is reading On China. That dated statement does not establish completion or an endorsement. source ↗
Publisher endorsementPenguin prints Bloomberg’s book-specific praise for its approach to career choices. This records an endorsement, not completed reading or adoption at his company. source ↗
Publisher endorsementWiley prints Bloomberg’s signed comment for Schwed’s book. This is a publisher endorsement; his own reading edition and extent are unknown. source ↗
Signed endorsement and reading recommendationLukianoff’s organization publishes Bloomberg’s signed recommendation of this book in its Fall 2018 quarterly. This does not establish completed reading. source ↗
Publisher endorsementThe publisher prints Bloomberg’s signed praise of Schmidt and Cohen’s book. This is an endorsement of their future scenarios, not proof of reading every page or agreeing with every prediction. source ↗
Publisher endorsementMIT Press prints Bloomberg’s signed praise for Bollyky’s book on disease and social change. This records the book-specific endorsement, not completed reading or independent proof of its policy conclusions. source ↗
Interview contribution; other conversations not yet readBloomberg’s March 31, 2026 post says he is included in Rogers’s book and looks forward to reading the other conversations. This records a contribution, explicitly not completed reading of the collection. source ↗
Public book praiseBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book praise, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public reading recommendationBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public reading recommendation, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book praiseBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book praise, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book praiseBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book praise, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public praise of the memoirBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public praise of the memoir, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book endorsementBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book endorsement, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book endorsementBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book endorsement, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book praiseBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book praise, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book praiseBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book praise, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public reading recommendationBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public reading recommendation, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book praiseBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book praise, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Described as a great readBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records described as a great read, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public endorsement of the book’s ideasBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public endorsement of the book’s ideas, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public praise of the photographic bookBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public praise of the photographic book, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public praise of the novelBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public praise of the novel, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public reading recommendationBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public reading recommendation, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public reading recommendationBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public reading recommendation, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book endorsementBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book endorsement, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public praise of the memoirBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public praise of the memoir, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public praise of the memoir’s storiesBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public praise of the memoir’s stories, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book recommendation for young readersBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book recommendation for young readers, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book endorsementBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book endorsement, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public book endorsementBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records public book endorsement, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Described as a powerful readBloomberg’s original dated post gives a title-specific positive assessment. This records described as a powerful read, not proof that he completed the book or used its ideas. source ↗
Public praise; owns a copyBloomberg’s February 4, 2025 post describes his own copy and praises the book’s case for AI. This is ownership and book-specific praise, not proof of completed reading. source ↗
Publisher endorsementSimon & Schuster prints Bloomberg’s signed praise for Hochberg’s argument on international trade. This is a title-specific endorsement, not a claim that he completed the book or adopted every policy conclusion. source ↗
Similar taste
Founders who share the most book recommendations with Michael:
Library reading guides
These guides include books on this page. The library chooses their reading order.
Sources
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- Mike’s Story — Mike Bloomberg
- Bloomberg by Bloomberg — licensed excerpt — Wiley
- Bloomberg by Bloomberg, Updated — publisher announcement — John Wiley & Sons
- Michael R. Bloomberg — Great American Business Leaders — Harvard Business School
- Michael R. Bloomberg — board biography — National September 11 Memorial & Museum
- 2024 Sustainability Report — Bloomberg L.P.
- Principles — Publisher endorsement
- Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World — Publisher endorsement / recommendation
- Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet — Coauthor with Carl Pope
- Mike Bloomberg: Money, Power, Politics — Biography
- The Many Lives of Michael Bloomberg — Biography
- beer-school-bottling-success-at-the-brooklyn-brewery-steve-hindy-and-tom-potter — Signed foreword contribution
- its-how-we-play-the-game-build-a-business-take-a-stand-make-a-difference-ed-stack — Publisher endorsement
- Reading audit — Johnny Tremain
- Reading audit — Johnny Tremain
- Reading audit — Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Reading audit — The Start-up of You: Adapt, Take Risks, Grow Your Network, and Transform Your Life
- Reading audit — The Start-up of You: Adapt, Take Risks, Grow Your Network, and Transform Your Life
- Reading audit — Where Are the Customers’ Yachts?
- Reading audit — The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure
- Reading audit — The New Digital Age
- Reading audit — Plagues and the Paradox of Progress: Why the World Is Getting Healthier in Worrisome Ways
- Reading audit — Plagues and the Paradox of Progress: Why the World Is Getting Healthier in Worrisome Ways
- Reading audit — Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life
- Reading audit — Streetwise: Getting to and Through Goldman Sachs
- Reading audit — Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World
- Reading audit — Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley
- Reading audit — We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America
- Reading audit — Going There
- Reading audit — The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives, Including Your Own
- Reading audit — Breathe: How to Win a Greener World
- Reading audit — Moonshot: Inside Pfizer’s Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible
- Reading audit — The Fixer: My Adventures Saving Startups from Death by Politics
- Reading audit — Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (and Everything Else)
- Reading audit — Rescuing Retirement: A Plan to Guarantee Retirement Security for All Americans
- Reading audit — Sweat Equity: Inside the New Economy of Mind and Body
- Reading audit — Keeping At It: The Quest for Sound Money and Good Government
- Reading audit — The Arctic Melt: Images of a Disappearing Landscape
- Reading audit — The Gargoyle Hunters
- Reading audit — HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton
- Reading audit — Dealing with China: An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower
- Reading audit — Lessons of Hope: How to Fix Our Schools
- Reading audit — Lessons of Hope: How to Fix Our Schools
- Reading audit — Greater Than Ever: New York’s Big Comeback
- Reading audit — Greater Than Ever: New York’s Big Comeback
- Reading audit — The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War
- Reading audit — Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home
- Reading audit — Priceless Facts about Money
- Reading audit — Early Detection: Catching Cancer When It’s Curable
- Reading audit — The Well-Educated Child: How the Principles and Practices of Quality Thinking, Agency, and Ethical Purpose Cultivate Deeper Learning
- Reading audit — A Talent for Giving: Creating a More Generous Society That Benefits Everyone
- Reading audit — Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future
- Reading audit — Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word: How Six Everyday Products Make the Case for Trade