Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America

Investigative business reporter Leonard (The Meat Racket) provides a far-reaching history from the late 1960s onward of the privately owned Koch Industries and its role in tearing away America’s New Deal consensus. Depicting Charles Koch’s control of the company as complete, Leonard says Koch, using a system called market-based management, has molded the company to mirror his libertarian philosophy. According to the author, after some acquisition missteps, brushes with government regulators, and a family schism, Koch Industries became successful by playing to its strengths of reacting to change quickly, taking a long-term view, and sourcing information from multiple channels. Leonard details the company’s commodities trading, expansion efforts, and union busting. He shows how Koch’s political power has intimidated elected officials, elected friendly ones, and influenced both tax and environmental policy to its advantage.