THE WD INTERVIEW Michael Lewis
Whether by luck or an innate synchronicity, Michael Lewis often finds himself on the precipice of moments that shift the axis just slightly—but reshape the world in their wake.
Through the collapse of the housing market in 2010’s The Big Short, the introduction of big data to the nation’s pastime in 2003’s Moneyball, or the root of behavioral economics in 2016’s The Undoing Project, Lewis rides the seemingly imperceptible edges of epochs to chronicle the point where the tide ebbed, often discovering riches hidden underneath.
It’s a skill he’s been honing for decades. The 58-year-old nonfiction bestseller first cut his narrative teeth as a bond salesman, witnessing the heady descent of the investment bank Salomon Brothers from Wall Street juggernaut to financial sector cautionary tale, detailed in his 1989 debut, Liar’s Poker.
Inherent curiosity ultimately led Lewis to cover several notable trends that helped define the late 1990s and early 2000s, fortuitously capturing them at their height. From the dot-com boom in (1999) to the rise of offensive linemen in quarterback-protection football in (2006), Lewis blends immersive reporting with his trademark observational wit, fueled in part by an unlikely cast of characters that drive the narrative with panache. His ability to distill complex topics has translated well to the silver screen: Three of his books have been adapted into star-studded films, collecting Academy Awards nominations and trophies along the way. The late, great Tom Wolfe—himself a sage of narrative nonfiction—once said of
