Stephen A. Schwarzman co-founded Blackstone with $400,000 in 1985—today, Blackstone manages over $500 billion. How did he do it?
Join the Chairman and CEO of one of the world’s leading investment firms in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman as they discuss Schwarzman’s journey from grade school to Wall Street—and the lessons he learned along the way about how to make an impact as a leader, learn and adapt from failures, build thriving teams, and generally achieve excellence in work and life. The conversation also covers Schwarzman's contributions to education, philanthropy and public service, including his involvement in global affairs, the creation of the Schwarzman Scholars fellowship program in China, and his work with major global academic institutions to study the ethical implications of artificial intelligence.
Schwarzman’s story—as told in his new book, What it Takes: Lessons in Pursuit of Excellence—is both deeply entertaining and a practical blueprint for personal success.