Money from Thin Air: The Story of Craig McCaw, the Visionary Who Invented the Cell Phone Industry, and His Next Billion-Dollar Idea

I loved the book. O. Casey Corr puts a fast paced, complicated life of Craig McCaw into a simple fun readiing, makes you excited, book. It is amazing what one man can accomplish. I recommend this to any one with great dreams in business. I learned more in this book then a semester in college when it comes to real life business tactics.

Casey Corr is at his best in describing the man and his dreams- Craig McCaw and the world of cellular communications. Starting from a nearly bankrupt inheritance and the problems of his father's business Craig McCaw is superb in strategizing and execution. He quickly consolidates his business in the cable TV segment before venturing into mobile communications. He shows remarkable courage in predicting the growth pattern in each business segment he operates and takes big risks to pump in money to achieve leadership in his area of operation. Reading this book reminds me the story of Jim Clark ("The New New Thing " - by Michael Lewis ) who also follows a similar pattern in his mega plans, moving from one success to another.It would have been better had the author explained a little more about the concepts of technology in each business outlined, so that it would be easy for a reader without exposure in these areas to understand the real picture and the theme of this book.If you own a cell phone please read this book. If you don't own one, then this book will ensure that you buy one.May be a few years from now you may get a call from another planet - made possible by McCaw's network !.

Churchill's immortal description of the Soviet Union perfectly describes the shadowy Craig McCaw--probably the least known billionaire in America. Corr provides penetrating insights, all the more remarkable given a less than cooperative subject. McCaw is interesting because of the dichotomy between his bold, intuitive business gambits and his seemingly shy personality. In an age of CEO megalomaniacs--Bill Gates, Ted Turner, Donald Trump, and Larry Ellison--McCaw is a refreshing change. Yet Corr shows that there is a personal sadness at the core of McCaw's being. The book's final scene is as poignant as it is inscrutable. McCaw the billionaire and business genius at last finding one being with whom he can publicly connect: Keiko (the killer whale star of "Free Willy"). This book is much more than a well-written business biography. Corr captures the Quiggian contradictions of success and self.

I don't usually read "business" books but when a respected friend gave me this one I had to give it a try. I'm glad I did. This book moves at a fast pace. It describes an intriquing character with a well-plotted story. It might as well be a novel. Okay, there are a few numbers thrown it; I reluctantly learned a bit about business. But more important to me, I learned something about human nature.

The biography book provides an insightful story of how McCaws build his first empire of cable systems quickly by purchasing other companies aggressively and improving customer service.The book then moves to the even more exciting story of how this communications tycoon capitalize early on the huge market of wireless communications, build a much bigger empire, and sold it to AT & T. The author did a good job in providing an unbiased story supported with sufficient research. Given the combination of the entertaining writing style with the story of the great entrepreneur, I couldn't quite put the book down.Highly Recommended.