Accountable cover art

Accountable

How we Can Save Capitalism

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Accountable

By: Warren Valdmanis, Michael O'Leary
Narrated by: Joe Knezevich
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Capitalism is failing and the tools we are relying on to fix it - corporate social responsibility, divestment, impact investing, and government control - are only making things worse.

-Chevron boasts about the $50 million per year it spends on renewable energy whilst it spends 200 times that on oil exploration

-Goldman Sachs touts its 10,000 Women initiative but its board ranks 358th out of the Fortune 500 for gender diversity and women earn 55% less than men do on average

By focusing on corporations rather than people, we've put our faith in empty trends and brand-focused window-dressing. Why should those responsible for our current crisis be trusted to fix it?

In Accountable, authors Michael O'Leary and Warren Valdmanis offer a blueprint for everyone to take responsibility for using their economic power as consumers, as investors, as employees, and as voters to trigger a fundamental shift away from an economy that is unethical, unfair, and destructive to our environment and institutions. Their investigation cuts through the tired dogma of current economic thinking to reveal a hopeful truth: if we can make our corporations accountable to a deeper purpose, we can make capitalism both prosperous and good.

Trenchant and gripping, this is an indispensable guide and call to action for citizens to take control of our economic power and hold corporations to a higher standard.

© Michael O'Leary, Warren Valdmanis 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Business Ethics Freedom & Security Law Politics & Government Social Sciences Workplace & Organisational Behavior Business Capitalism Banking Taxation Socialism Government Investing Employment Management US Economy

Listeners also enjoyed...

Capitalist Punishment cover art
A Capitalism for the People cover art
The Occupy Handbook cover art
Less Is More cover art
When Corporations Rule the World cover art
Confronting Capitalism cover art
The Upside of the Downturn cover art
The Innovation Blind Spot cover art
The War on Small Business cover art
The Making of a Democratic Economy: How to Build Prosperity for the Many, Not the Few cover art
The Dictatorship of Woke Capital cover art
Tomorrow's Capitalist cover art
The New Corporation cover art
Grow the Pie cover art
The Finance Curse cover art
The Great Reversal cover art

Critic reviews

A thoughtful, well researched and compelling way to rethink how to assure that prosperity and fairness are linked
Presents a fresh, balanced, highly readable and deeply informed case for how the pursuit of sustained financial success and the exercise of social responsibility to employees, consumers and society not only can-but must-go hand in hand if we are to have the world we seek in the future. I learned a lot
More than ever before, this is the book our economy needs
Unwilling to settle for easy answers or superficial changes, O'Leary and Valdmanis push us all to ask more of our economic system
Striking in its clarity and insights borne from the authors' experience as investors on the frontlines of capitalism's excesses and potential. The case studies of some of the best-known companies and investors don't pull punches while offering tangible examples of the changes in culture and rules of the game required for a new type of capitalism
Solving our biggest social and environmental problems means reshaping the role that businesses play in our society. This informative book addresses the challenges we face in achieving this crucial transformation
In today's reality, business represents a picture of dysfunctionality, of excesses benefitting the few, of gross injustice. Tomorrow's business leaders have an obligation to create a different reality reflecting our better hopes and inspirations. Accountable takes you on that journey. It's a wonderful trip
For decades the dominant view has been that the purpose of companies is to make money for their shareholders. No more. Combining compelling examples and analytical insights, O'Leary and Valdmanis explain why the world is changing and provide a roadmap for how shareholders and citizens can and must transform the corporate landscape to save capitalism from itself
The authors have been at the forefront of thinking on how markets and business can better serve society for many years. Accountable captures not only the history that underpins modern-day corporate purpose, but its present and future. The central message-that capitalism can and must be part of the solution to society's greatest challenges-has never been more important
The issues posed could not be more topical or provocative. The coronavirus pandemic has catapulted capitalism into the future, where we need new and better answers to the crucial questions 'What matters most in our society' 'How should we organize work to support those priorities?' and 'What's a fair way to pay people for their contributions?' Accountable offers a fresh and compelling perspective on these questions.
All stars
Most relevant
I found that this gave a comprehensive exploration of the named area and was educational. It’s allowed to me to better understand the alternative approaches, factors, and considerations for achieving success in moving towards socially responsible organisations. I also found it thought-provoking.

Interesting and insightful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.