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  • Conspiracy

  • Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue
  • By: Ryan Holiday
  • Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
  • Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (107 ratings)

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Conspiracy

By: Ryan Holiday
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
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Publisher's Summary

In 2016, one of the giants of modern journalism fell: Gawker Media, infamous for saying what other outlets wouldn't say, was sued for publishing Hulk Hogan's sex tape, lost the case and went bust. After countless other lawsuits it seemed that Gawker had finally run out of luck. But luck had nothing to do with it.

Peter Thiel, PayPal founder and billionaire investor, had masterminded the whole thing. Still furious at an article that had outed him 10 years previously, and increasingly disgusted at Gawker's unscrupulous reporting methods, Thiel had spent nearly a decade meticulously plotting a conspiracy that would lead to the demise of Gawker and its founder, Nick Denton. After a multiyear proxy war through the Florida legal system, the settlement of $140 million in favour of Hogan ended it. The verdict would stun the world, and so would Peter's ultimate unmasking as the man who had set it all in motion. Why had he done this? How had no one discovered it? What would this mean - for free speech? For privacy? For culture?

In Holiday's masterful telling of this nearly unbelievable conspiracy, informed by exclusive interviews with all the key players, this case transcends the narrative of how one billionaire took down a media empire or the current state of the free press. It's a study in power, strategy, and one of the most wildly ambitious - and successful - secret plots in recent memory.

©2018 Ryan Holiday (P)2018 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about Conspiracy

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, terrible narration

This is the second Holiday book I've read, and he's certainly improved as a writer. I was captivated by the narrative throughout, and even though there's perhaps a little too much analysis the paving was good enough to keep me enthralled.

But Holiday. Stop. Reading. Your own. Books. Your pauses. Hurt. My ears. You are far. Too. Monotonous. You are not. A good. Narrator. I don't know if it's a cost saving tactic, but it really doesn't make me want to read another of your books.

Overall a great read, I can't deny that. I'm glad I got the book. But geez Holiday you make it a difficult decision.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fine Story but Ignore the last three chapter

It's a fascinating story but the last few chapters are completely irrelevant to the story of Peter Thiel vs Gawker via Hulk Hogan.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

interesting!

didn't know what to expect but gave it a go because I'm a fan of the author. well narrated and considered as always, interesting listen.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Indulgent and over-analogised view of simple story

An indulgent and over-analogised view of a quite simple story that could have been adequately covered in a couple of chapters, I feel somewhat ashamed for being drawn to this book by almost the same celebrity curiosity that gave Gawker its terrible platform in the first place.

Definitely an overly rosy view of Thiel (perhaps the book was funded by him too) with tenuous links to historical philosophies on conspiracy and post-hoc rationalisations for a fairly simple revenge motive.

I listened on audible too and the narration by Ryan Holiday was SO tedious. What. Is with. The punctuated. Pauses. After literally. Every. f*cking. word. I almost pulled the pin several times purely due to the reading style

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great book

the most ironic part of this book is that fact that Facebook and cyber bullying has caused more damage than Gawker ever did.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this

Very different to Ryan Holiday's normal writing, this was truly awesome. I really liked it, could not stop listening.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Cool story

Such a fascinating story
Well read, well written and much enjoyed.
I think if you like Ryan’s other books, you’ll like this one too.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating story!

Amazing story, interspersed with Holiday's usual historical anecdotes and contemplations.

The narration is a little distracting but the content shines thru.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating story and author covers the strategy excellently

A very well written book covering the story and all aspects extremely well. If you like Ryan Holiday's other books and his take on the world you'll enjoy this too. The coverage and analysis of Peter Thiel's strategy really gets the mind going and the author went into the finer details here exceptionally well.

The only downfall was the audio version where the narrator separates each sentence into 3 parts with unnatural pauses in between each. It's one of those things you focus on once you notice it and distracts henceforth.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Shakespearean drama played out in modern times.

Ryan Holiday has reached a new level in telling this tale of conspiracy in the modern age. As much a lesson on the nature of conspiracy as an engrossing tale of power, the author leverages his relationships with the protagonists to lift the veil on a story that could have been at home in a Shakespearean drama. I loved every moment of this, including Ryan's musings on the players and their drives. Well narrated and utterly spellbinding. Highly recommended.

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