More from Michael Bloomberg

I'm as much a capitalist as you will ever find, but anyone who believes that unfettered capitalism works hasn't read history.

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Michael Bloomberg

Harvard Business School Commencement 2019, 2019

13:00

Video starts at 13:00 — the moment this quote was spoken

The Story Behind This Quote

Bloomberg framed his speech around a single word — integrity — as the solution to both America's political and economic problems. He traced how Teddy Roosevelt broke up monopolies and FDR's New Deal saved capitalism from collapse, noting that both were reviled by the business world as traitors to their class. But their actions preserved markets by restoring people's faith in them. With industry consolidation at record levels and a growing generation questioning whether capitalism can create a just society, Bloomberg argued the system needs ethical leaders to steer it, or the market's invisible hand could turn into a clenched fist.

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