What is *When McKinsey Comes to Town* about?

*When McKinsey Comes to Town* investigates McKinsey & Company’s global influence on corporations and governments, exposing its role in crises like the opioid epidemic and the 2008 financial crash. The book critiques McKinsey’s profit-driven strategies, ethical lapses, and cultural prioritization of efficiency over societal welfare, using case studies like U.S. Steel’s restructuring in Gary, Indiana.

Who should read *When McKinsey Comes to Town*?

This book is essential for professionals in consulting, corporate governance, or public policy, as well as readers interested in corporate ethics and accountability. It offers critical insights into how management decisions impact society, making it valuable for those examining power dynamics in business.

Is *When McKinsey Comes to Town* worth reading?

Yes—the book provides a meticulously researched exposé of McKinsey’s controversial practices, blending investigative journalism with analysis of corporate ethics. Its revelations about conflicts of interest and real-world consequences make it a compelling read for understanding modern consulting’s hidden costs.

What are the main criticisms of McKinsey in the book?

The authors accuse McKinsey of prioritizing profit over ethics, enabling harmful client actions (e.g., opioid manufacturers and authoritarian regimes), and avoiding accountability through nondisclosure agreements. Case studies highlight environmental damage, labor cuts, and safety compromises tied to its recommendations.

How does *When McKinsey Comes to Town* explain McKinsey’s role in the opioid crisis?

McKinsey advised pharmaceutical firms like Purdue Pharma on boosting opioid sales through aggressive marketing tactics, despite knowing the drugs’ addictiveness. The book argues this consultancy directly contributed to widespread public health devastation, with McKinsey later settling lawsuits but avoiding full accountability.

What case studies does the book use to illustrate McKinsey’s impact?

Key examples include U.S. Steel’s layoffs and safety compromises in Gary, Indiana; Disneyland’s maintenance cuts leading to fatal accidents; and Saudi Arabia’s use of McKinsey strategies to consolidate authoritarian power. These cases reveal systemic risks in McKinsey’s data-driven, profit-first approach.

What ethical dilemmas are raised in *When McKinsey Comes to Town*?

The book questions whether consultancies like McKinsey share accountability for clients’ harmful actions. It challenges the “neutral advisor” narrative, arguing firms must weigh societal consequences when providing strategies tied to layoffs, deregulation, or public health crises.

How does McKinsey’s internal culture influence its recommendations?

McKinsey’s “up or out” promotion system and performance-based compensation incentivize prioritizing client growth over ethical considerations. Employees face pressure to deliver short-term profits, often ignoring long-term social or environmental impacts.

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When McKinsey Comes to Town

Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe

2.75 (4 Reviews)

Business Politics Economics

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Behind McKinsey's elite facade lurks a darker truth. Two NYT investigative journalists expose how the world's most powerful consulting firm turbocharges opioid sales and serves controversial clients. "Panoramic and devastating" (Patrick Radden Keefe) - this expose redefines corporate accountability.

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"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

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"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

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When McKinsey Comes to Town

Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe

2.75 (4 Reviews)

Business Politics Economics

Aperçu

Points Clés

Auteur

Questions Fréquentes

Explorez Votre Façon d'Apprendre

Résumé Rapide10min

Ressentez le livre à travers la voix de l'auteur

Approfondissement42min

Transformez les connaissances en idées captivantes et riches en exemples

Fiches mémo10 idées

Capturez les idées clés en un éclair pour un apprentissage rapide

Fun24min

Profitez du livre de manière ludique et engageante

Meilleure citation de When McKinsey Comes to Town

Though McKinsey allows consultants to refuse morally objectionable assignments, this shifts ethical choices to junior staff rather than leadership, and declining work can harm advancement prospects.

Dans le même genre

The McKinsey Mind

Ethan M. Rasiel

The Smartest Guys in the Room

Bethany Mclean & Peter Elkind

Case Interview Secrets

Victor Cheng

No Ordinary Disruption

Richard Dobbs & James Manyika & Jonathan Woetzel

6 sources

Inside the MBA: What They Really Teach

28 sources

The Power Playbook: Why Politics is Rigged

Points clés

The Invisible Hand That Shapes Your World

00:00

A father of two comes home from his shift at a steel mill. Within months, he's dead-electrocuted on equipment that hadn't been properly maintained. A grandmother in rural Kentucky takes her prescribed pain medication, unaware she's stepping onto a path that leads to addiction and despair. A young consultant at the world's most prestigious firm discovers the "change that matters" she was promised means helping coal companies maximize profits while the planet burns. These stories aren't isolated tragedies. They're connected by invisible threads leading back to the same place: a consulting firm so powerful yet so secretive that most people have never heard its name, even as it quietly reshapes everything from your healthcare costs to your job security. McKinsey & Company operates where power concentrates-in corporate boardrooms, government offices, and the inner circles of authoritarian regimes. With 34,000 employees across 65 countries, this elite firm attracts the brightest minds with an irresistible pitch: not just wealth and prestige, but the chance to solve the world's toughest problems. Yet this promise of purpose masks a troubling reality. McKinsey's fingerprints appear on some of modern society's most devastating failures, from the opioid epidemic to historic wealth inequality. The firm's genius lies in its business model-give advice, not orders, then disappear before consequences arrive.

When the Consultants Arrive, Workers Pay

The Seduction of Idealism

Engineering Inequality

Turbocharging the Opioid Crisis

The Accountability Vacuum

Reckoning With Power

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BeFreed rassemble une communaute mondiale de plus de 200 000 esprits curieux

Decouvrez comment BeFreed est discute sur le web

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

Cree par des anciens de Columbia University a San Francisco

BeFreed rassemble une communaute mondiale de plus de 200 000 esprits curieux

Decouvrez comment BeFreed est discute sur le web

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

1.5K Ratings4.7

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Dans le même genre

Points clés

The Invisible Hand That Shapes Your World

When the Consultants Arrive, Workers Pay

The Seduction of Idealism

Engineering Inequality

Turbocharging the Opioid Crisis

The Accountability Vacuum

Reckoning With Power

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Dans le même genre

Points clés

The Invisible Hand That Shapes Your World

When the Consultants Arrive, Workers Pay

The Seduction of Idealism

Engineering Inequality

Turbocharging the Opioid Crisis

The Accountability Vacuum

Reckoning With Power