Book · 2023 · Business & Economics
Plunder
Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America
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- 3
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I read your book and I thought oh my I'm not nearly paranoid enough.
Stephen Dubner · Freakonomics Radio · Nov 2023 Listen at 3:31 The best things said about it
I read your book, and I thought, oh my, I'm not nearly paranoid enough.
Stephen Dubner Freakonomics Radio · Oct 2026 The title is Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America.
Stephen Dubner Freakonomics Radio · Oct 2026 Most of your evidence in this book has been previously reported in places like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, many local newspapers, all of which you cite very generously.
Stephen Dubner Freakonomics Radio · Oct 2026 Brendan Ballou, the former Department of Justice lawyer and author of Plunder, is not particularly sympathetic to this argument.
Stephen Dubner Freakonomics Radio · Oct 2026 His book opens with a quote from the late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. We must break the money trust or the money trust will break us.
Stephen Dubner Freakonomics Radio · Oct 2026 I suppose if I thought that it was good for society, I wouldn't have called the book Plunder.
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Plunder by Brendan Ballou is an investigative examination of the practices of private equity firms and their impact on the American economy. Stephen Dubner featured the book on Freakonomics Radio, noting that its title is Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America and remarking that it made him feel his own concerns about the industry were not nearly strong enough. Dubner noted that Ballou utilized evidence previously reported in various major newspapers and local publications, citing those sources generously. The host and author discussed how private equity business models affect everyday citizens, pointing to examples such as residents of a mobile home park who sought rent controls after facing aggressive management tactics. Ballou, identified as a former Department of Justice lawyer, argued that private equity operations are ultimately harmful to society, a viewpoint reflected directly in the provocative title of his work. Dubner observed that the book opens with a notable quotation from the late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis regarding the dangers of money trusts. Throughout the episodes, the discussions highlighted how the book sheds light on regulatory challenges, corporate acquisitions, and the widespread economic consequences of private equity firms expanding their reach across various sectors of the United States.
Every mention
Stephen Dubner His book opens with a quote from the late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. We must break the money tru… 11
“The title is Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America.”
“And then, Brendan, I read your book, and I thought, oh my, I'm not nearly paranoid enough.”
“Most of your evidence in this book has been previously reported in places like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, many local newspapers, all of which you cite very generously, I have to say.”
“As Balou writes in Plunder, this led the residents of Plaza del Rey to ask their city council to impose rent controls.”
“Brendan Ballou, the former Department of Justice lawyer and author of Plunder, is not particularly sympathetic to this argument.”
“His book opens with a quote from the late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. We must break the money trust or the money trust will break us.”
“I suppose if I thought that it was good for society I wouldn't have called the book plunder today on free economics radio the rise and Rise of the private Equity”
“the book is called plunder private equity's plan to pillage America”
“I read your book and I thought oh my I'm not nearly paranoid enough”
“your book threatens to change that was that an intention”
“as beloo writes in plunder”
Brendan Ballou I suppose if I thought that it was good for society, I wouldn't have called the book Plunder. That again wa… 1
“I suppose if I thought that it was good for society, I wouldn't have called the book Plunder. That again was Brendan Ballou, and his book is called Plunder, Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“I suppose if I thought that it was good for society I wouldn't have called the book plunder”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Rubenstein appears frequently in Brendan Ballou's book. We asked Rubenstein for an interview for this episode, but he declined.”
“Rubenstein appears frequently in Brendan belo's book we asked Ruben Stein for an interview for this episode but he declined”
“that again was Brendan beloo and his book is called plunder private equities plan to pillage America”