📖 Overview
Stanley Bing is the pen name of Gil Schwartz (1951-2020), a business executive and author who wrote satirical commentary on corporate culture and business life. While serving as a senior executive at CBS, he maintained a parallel career writing humorous business books and columns for Esquire and Fortune magazines.
His books include "Crazy Bosses," "What Would Machiavelli Do?," and "100 Bullshit Jobs...And How to Get Them," which blend workplace wisdom with sharp-edged humor. Bing's writing style typically combined practical business advice with satire that exposed the absurdities of corporate America.
Throughout his career, Bing maintained the pseudonym to separate his writing from his corporate role, though his identity became public knowledge in 1996. His dual career as both a high-ranking executive and a satirist of corporate culture gave his work a distinctive insider's perspective.
The author died in May 2020, leaving behind a significant body of work that spans multiple decades and formats, including books, columns, and blogs. His writing continues to be referenced in discussions about workplace culture and corporate behavior.
👀 Reviews
Readers appreciate Bing's insider knowledge of corporate culture and his ability to expose workplace absurdities through humor. Many note his accurate portrayal of office politics and dysfunctional management behaviors, particularly in "Crazy Bosses."
Readers highlight the practical advice mixed with comedy in "What Would Machiavelli Do?" One Amazon reviewer wrote: "Funny but also contains genuine insights about power dynamics in the workplace."
Common criticisms include repetitive content across books and humor that sometimes feels forced. Some readers find his cynical tone off-putting, with a Goodreads reviewer noting: "The satire becomes exhausting after a few chapters."
Ratings across platforms:
Amazon: Average 3.8/5 stars
- "Crazy Bosses": 4.0/5
- "What Would Machiavelli Do?": 3.9/5
- "100 Bullshit Jobs": 3.5/5
Goodreads: Average 3.6/5 stars
- Most reviewed: "What Would Machiavelli Do?" (2,184 ratings)
- Highest rated: "Crazy Bosses" (3.7/5)
📚 Books by Stanley Bing
What Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness (2000)
A guide examining ruthless business practices through the lens of Machiavellian principles.
Throwing the Elephant: Zen and the Art of Managing Up (2002) A satirical management book about handling relationships with superiors in corporate environments.
Rome, Inc.: The Rise and Fall of the First Multinational Corporation (2006) An analysis of the Roman Empire viewed as a business organization.
Crazy Bosses (2007) A categorical examination of difficult executive personalities and management types in the workplace.
Executricks: Or How to Retire While You're Still Working (2008) A guide to reducing workload while maintaining corporate position and status.
Bingsop's Fables: Little Morals for Big Business (2011) A collection of modern business fables modeled after Aesop's format.
The Curriculum: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master of Business Arts (2014) A comprehensive overview of business practices presented as an alternative MBA program.
Throwing the Elephant: Zen and the Art of Managing Up (2002) A satirical management book about handling relationships with superiors in corporate environments.
Rome, Inc.: The Rise and Fall of the First Multinational Corporation (2006) An analysis of the Roman Empire viewed as a business organization.
Crazy Bosses (2007) A categorical examination of difficult executive personalities and management types in the workplace.
Executricks: Or How to Retire While You're Still Working (2008) A guide to reducing workload while maintaining corporate position and status.
Bingsop's Fables: Little Morals for Big Business (2011) A collection of modern business fables modeled after Aesop's format.
The Curriculum: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master of Business Arts (2014) A comprehensive overview of business practices presented as an alternative MBA program.
👥 Similar authors
Malcolm Gladwell examines business and behavioral topics through research-based narratives, similar to Bing's approach to corporate culture. His writing combines social psychology with workplace dynamics and success principles.
Michael Lewis investigates financial markets and business personalities with narrative journalism that reveals institutional dysfunction. He exposes corporate absurdities and power structures like Bing does, but focuses on specific industry case studies.
Patrick Lencioni writes business fables that illustrate organizational behavior and leadership principles. His format uses fictional scenarios to teach management concepts, comparable to Bing's method of using humor to convey workplace truths.
Tom Peters analyzes corporate culture and management practices with a focus on innovation and workplace dynamics. He challenges conventional business wisdom and highlights organizational contradictions in his examination of company operations.
Daniel Pink explores workplace motivation and professional behavior through research-based analysis of human psychology. His work examines corporate environments and employee dynamics with attention to the mechanisms behind workplace culture.
Michael Lewis investigates financial markets and business personalities with narrative journalism that reveals institutional dysfunction. He exposes corporate absurdities and power structures like Bing does, but focuses on specific industry case studies.
Patrick Lencioni writes business fables that illustrate organizational behavior and leadership principles. His format uses fictional scenarios to teach management concepts, comparable to Bing's method of using humor to convey workplace truths.
Tom Peters analyzes corporate culture and management practices with a focus on innovation and workplace dynamics. He challenges conventional business wisdom and highlights organizational contradictions in his examination of company operations.
Daniel Pink explores workplace motivation and professional behavior through research-based analysis of human psychology. His work examines corporate environments and employee dynamics with attention to the mechanisms behind workplace culture.