Jack Welch's Unbroken Strike of Triumph Was About to Snap

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After 9-11, Jack Welch watched as the company he'd built to be the world's most valuable was burned out like an Edison bulb. GE Capital had ensured both World Trade Center towers and all four planes used in the 9-11 attacks. As revenues slumped, Jeff Imol plucked jewels from the GE Crown like NBC Universal and pawned them for next to nothing. He dismantled GE Capital, except he didn't have a plan to recoup the lost earnings.

General Electric used to be the most valuable company in the world; now it's practically irrelevant. What happened? Today on the show, we're going to find answers. And to help, we're turning to two writers who have followed the saga closely and written about it brilliantly: Malcolm Gladwell and William Cohan.

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• Check out "Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon" and subscribe to Bill's newsletter, "Dry Powder"

• Read Malcolm's New Yorker story: "Was Jack Welch the Greatest C.E.O. of His Day—or the Worst?"

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