Boundless: The Rise, Fall, and Escape of Carlos Ghosn

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The unprecedented rise and catastrophic fall of one of the worlds most feared and admired business executivesCarlos Ghosna remarkable story of innovation, hubris, alleged crimes, and daring international escape, as chronicled by two WallStreet Journal reporters.

Carlos Ghosn always wanted more. Born in the Amazon, raised by a well-offif scandalizedfamily in Beirut, and educated in Paris, Ghosn rose to prominence at Michelin in the United States, Renault in France, and Nissan in Japan. Along the way he earned monikers of Le Cost Killer, for his incisive business savvy, and Mr. 7-Eleven, for the hours he devoted to his work.

Initially Ghosn thrived, becoming a poster boy for globalization and multinational corporations. Employees believed him to be among the greatest business minds of his generation, and the press hailed him a financial genius. The trouble started when Ghosn began to believe them. His power rose in tandem with an increasing certainty that he was underpaid and undervalued at his multiple posts. Executives grew unhappy with Ghosns talk of a merger with Renault, calling his loyalty to Nissan into question. Resentments brewed, enough so that a group of Nissan executives set out to uncover the truth about the man who many throughout Nissan and Japan perceived as a savior. Eventually, Ghosn was accused of financial misconduct and arrested for a bevy of alleged crimesall of which he vehemently denied.

Yet even as he insisted his financial transactions were above board, Ghosn was planning an astounding escape, one that would either smuggle him out of Tokyo and back to his ancestral homeland of Lebanon; or land him in a Japanese prison for life.

Drawing from intensive investigative reporting, and including never-before-seen insider details from key players in Ghosns life and the investigations into him, Nick Kostov and Sean McLain piece together this fallen icons life and actions across the globe. Their sensational globetrotting adventure reveals the complexity of a man who watched for decades as contemporaries with far less talent amassed far greater wealth, and who took drastic measures to ensure he would finally get his due.

Reviews

The rise and fall of Carlos Ghosn is a modern-day Greek tragedythe story of a brilliant and industrious man whose greed and hubris took him from the top of the global auto industry to Interpols most-wanted list. In their deeply reported book, Kostov and McLain tell this story with nuance and empathy. . . . A fascinating read. John Carreyrou, bestselling author of Bad Blood A hard-hitting expos that dispels forever the myth of the superstar CEO. Tom Wright, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Billion Dollar Whale An explosive expos of a disgraced automotive-industry titanThis exciting, vividly detailed book explores a variety of relevant topics, including globalization, international business ethics, and how excessive wealth and fame have the potential to corrupt even the shrewdest businessperson. First-rate reporting on corporate savvy and greed and the ultimate cinematic escape. Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review [BOUNDLESS is] a fascinating and fast-moving account of one of the auto industry's most successful executives, his alleged crimes, and his eventual escape from authoritiesThe minute I poked my nose into Nick Kostov andSean McLainsBoundless, I was hookedActions like [Carlos Ghosns] need to be exposed and examined. Nick Kostov and Sean McLain do an excellent job of that. Porchlight Kostov and McLain, both Wall Street Journal reporters, have unearthed lots of new details, and they tell that part of the story with all the verve and tension of a good spy novel. The Washington Post

Author Bio

Nick Kostov covers business from the Paris bureau of the Wall Street Journal. Since taking the role in 2015, he has helped to break some of the biggest stories in European business, including news of the misconduct probe that led to Martin Sorrell's resignation from WPP and the 40 billion euro merger between Peugeot-owner PSA and Fiat Chrysler. He has also reported on everything from elections to ISIS, and was part of the team that won a New York Press Club award for coverage of the Paris terror attacks in 2015. Sean McLain, based in Tokyo, is the Wall Street Journal's automotive correspondent. Before that he was based in New Delhi, India, where he joined the Journal in 2013. He has lived and reported in a half dozen countries, covering everything from startups to earthquakes.