Biography

Bethany McLean is a columnist for Slate and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. She joined Slate in October 2010 and Vanity Fair in July 2008 after spending thirteen years at Fortune, where she was an editor-at-large. In early 2001, McLean was one of the first reporters to raise questions about Enron, with her story Is Enron Overpriced? She and fellow Fortune senior writer Peter Elkind exposed the Enron scandal and wrote the national bestseller The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron, which went on to become an Oscar-nominated documentary.

McLean has also written in-depth pieces about the credit rating agencies, Goldman Sachs, President Clinton’s global philanthropy, Australia’s Macquarie Bank, and more. Before joining Fortune, she spent three years as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. She graduated from Williams College in 1992 with a double major in mathematics and English.

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Videos

Ten Years Hence Lecture: Two Decades of Covering Business: A Journalist’s View

Bethany McLean Has Something To Say, and You Should Listen

Bethany McLean at 2020 UW-Stevens Point Business and Society Lecture

The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis

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Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

Fracking and Environmental Justice

Author of Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It’s Changing the World, Bethany McLean shares her expertise on fracking with audiences. McLean shares her insights on the issues surrounding fracking as well as its causes and effects on other areas of our society – how low-interest rates are driving fracking, the shifting world of energy, and changing relationships between Russia and Europe. She discusses the issue of the development of fossil fuels not aligning with the math of the Paris climate accord, posing the question of what might be next for fossil fuels and how we can protect the environment in finding the answer.

Business Ethics

From her experience as an analyst at Goldman Sachs through her work at Fortune exposing the Enron scandal, Bethany McLean gives audiences a look into what it means for a business to be ethical. In her talks, she delves into the discrepancies between morality and illegality and offers insight into the corruption that occurs when the people at the top take on all of the reward and none of the risk. In these talks, McLean draws on her published works and her personal findings as a member of the business world.

The Financial Crisis (All the Devils Are Here)

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Government Regulation of Business

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Wall Street

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Print Journalism

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Enron (The Smartest Guys in the Room)

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Booksby Bethany McLean

All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis

The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron

Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It's Changing the World

Shaky Ground: The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants

Blog Posts

The Reach-Out Rule for Mental Health

One simple rule for mental health this May: if someone crosses your mind, reach out. No agenda. Just humanity.

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Playing the Game of Life: Events and Experiences That Actually Transform

Events create human collision points that digital tools can't replicate. Here's why in-person experiences matter more than ever, with insights from Jess Ekstrom.

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Courageous Leadership Skills Every Event Planner Needs

Discover the courage mindset event planners need to lead with confidence, manage risk, and thrive in high-pressure event environments with insights from Julian Pistone.

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The Adventurer’s Guide to Resilience with Squash Falconer

Resilience keynote speaker Squash Falconer shares how self-trust, smart decisions, and redefining failure build elite performance.

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Emotional Intelligence Under Pressure Keeps Teams Steady

Lessons from keynote speakers on how emotional intelligence under pressure keeps teams clear, kind, and useful when the stakes are highest.

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Purpose at Work Helps You Make Smarter Career Decisions

Discover from Adrian Gostick how defining your purpose at work reduces anxiety and helps you make clearer, more confident career decisions.

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