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This week, the newly revamped Waldorf Astoria New York set the stage for a gathering of influential figures who came together to celebrate the launch of Andrew Ross Sorkin’s latest book, “1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History – and How It Shattered a Nation.” The choice of venue was particularly fitting, given its historical ties to the events of 1929.
In a twist of fate, the Astor family sold the original hotel location in 1929 to make way for what would become the Empire State Building. This transaction occurred just before the stock market’s dramatic collapse, with financing already secured for the Waldorf’s new Park Avenue location.
The author of “Too Big to Fail” hosted a star-studded cocktail party in honor of his latest publication, which delves into the infamous market crash.
The event attracted a diverse array of prominent attendees, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, lifestyle mogul Martha Stewart, media tycoon Barry Diller, actress Julianna Margulies, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, television personality Gayle King, ex-Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, newcomer Vogue editor Chloe Malle, acclaimed author Ron Chernow, and celebrated restaurateur Danny Meyer.
Sorkin’s new book is now available to readers, having been released this week.
The author told the crowd: “I’m hoping we never have another crash. I wrote ‘1929’ as the prequel to ‘Too Big to Fail’ — in hopes I never have to write the sequel.”
Both Sorkin and Dimon have been warning investors this week about market jitters — “proving history may not repeat, but it sure rhymes,” an attendee said.
Sorkin told CBS News of any similarities between today and the roaring 1920s: “I just can’t tell you when, and I can’t tell you how deep… But I can assure you, unfortunately, I wish I wasn’t saying this, we will have a crash.”
He added in a “60 Minutes” report of the current market: “I’m anxious that we are at prices that may not feel sustainable. And what I don’t know is we are either living through some kind of remarkable boom and part of that’s artificial intelligence and technology, and all of that, or everything’s overpriced.”
“I think it’s hard to say we’re not in a bubble of some sort,” Sorkin said. “The question is always when is the bubble going to pop?” Sorkin said.