Current Read: Americana: A 400-Year History of American Capitalism

I love a good read.

In Americana: A 400-Year History of American Capitalism, Bhu Srinivasan takes through the history of how capitalism developed in America. From its origins with the Mayflower and Virginia Company all the way up through mobile explosion we are seeing today , you’ll learn about the enterprises, people, and situations that has led us to the capitalism as we know it today.

A lot of the concepts of associated with business today like limited liability, stocks, and venture capital we born out of the very first enterprises in America, the settlements. These concepts provided the incentives for private citizens to take risks with their capital in search of exponential profits. This system, though flawed, has led to a lot of innovation over the last 400 years.

I want to understand capitalism better given that there is a shift happening right now all around us. We are at an inflection point in our society where we need to really look at who profits, who benefits, and who pays when it comes to this system.

We have to understand its origins and all of its permutations to really hone in on what it could be today or how it should shift to create the outcomes we want to see.

You can buy the book here if interested in taking the deep dive.