When McKinsey Comes to Town audiobook cover - The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm

When McKinsey Comes to Town

The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm

Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe

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When McKinsey Comes to Town
The Consulting Playbook+
Driving Inequality+
Compromising Government+
Fueling Health Crises+
Financial Disasters+
Empowering Authoritarians+
Climate Hypocrisy+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9
According to the text, what is McKinsey's typical playbook for helping its corporate clients stay competitive?
  • A. Investing heavily in employee training and union negotiations.
  • B. Slashing costs, laying off workers, and cutting safety measures.
  • C. Shifting corporate focus entirely to sustainable and green technologies.
  • D. Increasing transparency and public reporting of corporate operations.
Question 2 of 9
How did McKinsey respond when hired by General Motors in the 1950s to study executive pay?
  • A. They discovered wages were rising faster for workers than CEOs and provided cost-cutting advice to reverse this trend.
  • B. They recommended linking CEO compensation directly to worker satisfaction and safety metrics.
  • C. They advised GM to implement profit-sharing models to ensure equitable wealth distribution among all employees.
  • D. They suggested off-shoring executive roles to reduce the company's overall administrative overhead.
Question 3 of 9
What major conflict of interest characterized McKinsey's work with the Federal Drug Administration (FDA)?
  • A. They were secretly funding the FDA while simultaneously lobbying Congress to reduce the agency's budget.
  • B. They exclusively hired former FDA commissioners to run their pharmaceutical consulting division.
  • C. They consulted for the FDA on drug regulations while simultaneously working for the pharmaceutical companies the FDA regulates.
  • D. They used FDA data to short-sell pharmaceutical stocks on Wall Street before public announcements.
Question 4 of 9
What controversial recommendation did McKinsey make while consulting for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)?
  • A. To completely privatize all border patrol operations.
  • B. To drastically lower the food standards at detention centers to cut costs.
  • C. To increase the number of pro bono lawyers available to detainees.
  • D. To build new, state-of-the-art medical facilities at border crossings.
Question 5 of 9
How did McKinsey advise Purdue Pharma to handle the declining sales of OxyContin in 2013?
  • A. By transitioning their manufacturing focus to non-addictive pain alternatives.
  • B. By voluntarily recalling the drug in regions with high addiction rates.
  • C. By 'turbocharging' sales, specifically targeting areas where opioid overdoses were already surging.
  • D. By launching a massive public awareness campaign about the dangers of opioid addiction.
Question 6 of 9
What financial strategy did McKinsey aggressively promote in the 1980s that ultimately contributed to the 2008 financial crisis?
  • A. Quantitative easing
  • B. Securitization
  • C. High-frequency trading
  • D. Microfinance lending
Question 7 of 9
What strategy did McKinsey suggest to the Saudi royal family to quell unrest during the 2011 Arab Spring?
  • A. Implementing symbolic reforms, such as allowing women to drive, while increasing the repression of dissent.
  • B. Transitioning the government into a constitutional monarchy with a democratically elected parliament.
  • C. Redistributing the profits from state oil firm Aramco directly to working-class citizens.
  • D. Completely censoring all foreign media and shutting down internet access across the country.
Question 8 of 9
How did McKinsey leadership respond when over 1,100 junior consultants protested the firm's extensive work with major polluters?
  • A. They immediately dropped their largest coal and oil clients to align with their stated values.
  • B. They defended the work by stating that companies 'can't go from brown to green without getting a little dirty.'
  • C. They fired the consultants who signed the letter for violating the firm's strict non-disclosure agreements.
  • D. They established a new, multi-billion dollar fund exclusively dedicated to renewable energy startups.
Question 9 of 9
While McKinsey theoretically allows its consultants to refuse to work on unethical projects, what is the practical reality of this policy according to the text?
  • A. Consultants who refuse projects are given paid sabbaticals to research ethical alternatives.
  • B. Refusing unethical projects is widely celebrated and often leads to rapid promotions.
  • C. Saying no to big clients is generally considered a 'death sentence' for a consultant's career.
  • D. Consultants must pay a financial penalty to the firm if they opt out of a high-paying contract.

When McKinsey Comes to Town — Full Chapter Overview

When McKinsey Comes to Town Summary & Overview

When McKinsey Comes to Town (2022) is a riveting deep dive into how the world’s most powerful consulting firm fosters inequality, corruption, and global instability. It examines McKinsey’s ties to controversial industries and governments, and reveals the stark contrast between the firm’s lofty values and its actions – from incentivizing opioid prescriptions to supporting authoritarian regimes. 

Who Should Listen to When McKinsey Comes to Town?

  • Anyone interested in politics and policy
  • Fans of investigative journalism
  • Leaders trying to avoid similar missteps

About the Author: Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe

Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe are investigative journalists renowned for their work at the New York Times, Bloomingdale, and many other prestigious outlets. Bogdanich, a multiple Pulitzer Prize winner, has exposed issues ranging from corporate misconduct to rail safety. Forsythe, who won a Pulitzer Prize himself, gained acclaim for his groundbreaking reporting on the wealth of Chinese leadership families. Their joint effort, When McKinsey Comes to Town, was named Book of the Year 2022 by both the New York Times and the Times. 

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