The Billionaire and The Mechanic | Julian Guthrie & Joseph Ozanne | Talks at Google
21Julian Guthrie stops by the Googleplex to discuss her latest book: "The Billionaire and the Mechanic: How Larry Ellison and a Car Mechanic Teamed Up to Win Sailing's Greatest Race, The America's Cup".
She's joined by Joseph Ozanne, the Chief Engineer behind Oracle Team USA's fixed-wing sail in 2010.
More about the book:
With exclusive access to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison over more than a year, Julian tells the dramatic true story of a decade-long quest to win the America's Cup, the oldest trophy in international sports and sailing's greatest prize. She tells of the colorful history of the America's Cup, the behind-the-scenes technology and material science race, and the human story of the builders, engineers, and sailors who make it happen.
There is insider sailing gossip, yacht club drama, a spotlight on the athletes who perform under pressure and those who cave, and the high-stakes international showdowns on the water featuring the superstars of the sport. There is the building by Ellison and his Oracle Racing team of the largest wingsail ever created, a wing too tall to fit under the Golden Gate Bridge, big enough to span a football field, and as fragile as an egg.
Julian also brings to life the story of an everyday hero, a car mechanic named Norbert Bajurin who is commodore of a blue-collar boating club and who dreams big and forges an unlikely partnership with Ellison. Bajurin finds his life changed in ways he never imagined. There are rewards that come with the unexpected partnership and friendship with the high-flying billionaire - and there is a price to pay.
The Billionaire and The Mechanic is for sailors and non-sailors, for anyone interested in what it means to chase a dream. And the story provides a more textured portrait of Ellison than anything that has been written before.
About the Author: Julian Guthrie is a journalist with the San Francisco Chronicle, who has won numerous awards, including the Best of the West Award and the Society of Professional Journalists' Public Service Award. Her feature writing and enterprise reporting have been nominated multiple times for the Pulitzer Prize.