Alwaleed: Businessman, Billionaire, Prince [With DVD]

by Riz Khan

Book Overview

There are few individuals as unique, enigmatic, and colorful as Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud.

This biography of the world's fifth-richest man -- worth around $24 billion -- tells the story of a businessman who started out with a relatively modest bank loan and built an empire that embraces the best-known brands, from Citigroup and Disney to Apple Computers and the Four Seasons Hotels.Alwaleed, as he's known to most in the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060850302
• ISBN13: 9780060850302
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Alwaleed: Businessman, Billionaire, Prince

Not like most biographys. Not indepth enough. Does not really explain how the deals really happened. Would like for someone else to give a go at another one.

What an exllnat book.

I am form the same country this man from ALWALEED so I know how good this book was and the documentry movie made it better.

Alwaleed

Really well written. A great insight into the man. Certainly, worth the read.

Really The Prince?

Through the DVD and the book Riz Khan allows you to gain a comprehensive picture on how one of the world's most successful investors thinks. Its not so much that the Prince is meticulous or that he constantly at work, or even that he is extraordinarily carefree about his charity. Its a combination of these things and more that makes this particular Saudi Prince an icon in the Middle East and a person that draws awe and envy across the West. The Prince is a very unique person cleverly gifted in the areas the world knows him for, but burdened with naivete in other areas such as politics and his perception of how the public views him or wants to see him. The book and DVD are interesting in that they allow or give the impression that we having a candid glimpse at the Prince. A person so clear and careful in his day to day life would certainly be very deliberate as to how the Book & DVD portray him. So its what the Prince really wants us to see. Or is it?

Fascinating biography on this elusive billionaire.

Yes, it comes with a 1 hour documentary DVD on the Prince. This is probably the first ever biography where they enclosed a DVD. I have never met the Prince nor seen him on TV, but the DVD gave me a good impression of him. This book is an authorized biography of Prince Alwaleed. In America, he is not as famous as Warren Buffet, but he is quite well known in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia. Since this is an authorized version, the author, Riz Khan, is very careful not to say anything that is too negative or controversial about Alwaleed. We won't fault him for that since he wants to please the Prince. What I enjoyed about this book is the numerous interviews made by Alwaleed. You get a good sense of how this man thinks and learn his philosophy about life and business. I also like reading about how the Prince lives and makes his business and investment decisions. He is driven, precise, highly ambitious, demanding, fast-paced and extremely detailed-oriented man with a photographic memory. He will stop at nothing to reach his goals. How else can you account for his rise from a mere royal Prince starting with $30,000 in seed capital to being worth over $24 billion dollars in less than 25 years. He is respected by CEOs and heads of state from around the globe. Alwaleed got his start in Saudi real estate and earning commissions from foreign contractors during Saudi Arabia's building boom in the 1980s. He then got into the banking business by buying and merging together Saudi banks. Alwaleed tells the story of how he saved Citibank from near collapse in the early 1990s by putting up a good chunk of his net worth (close to $600 million) during the bank's crisis. He is extremely punctual and has such a demanding travel schedule that his entourage can't keep up. He gets by with very little sleep (4 to 6 hours). Where ever he goes, he must have access to a telephone and a television. His phone bill is close to $100,000 a month. He is in the process of building the largest personal yacht in the world. He has a private 747 jumbo jet. I believe he is likely to order a double-deck Airbus A380 too. If you want a fascinating insider account of Prince Alwaleed, this is probably as good as it gets.