Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci

Hosted by SALT & Goalhanger

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255

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

You may think you know Anthony Scaramucci: a Harvard Law School graduate who cut his teeth at Goldman Sachs, went on to build two successful businesses and had an 11-day stint in the White House. What people don’t know is he’s an avid reader, endlessly curious, history buff with a restless mind. On Open Book, listeners will hear and get to know the real Anthony: the proud son of immigrant parents, a long-suffering New York Mets fan, and a father of five. Each week, he’ll invite you into an intimate and open conversation with some of the brightest minds out there, from business, politics, entertainment, and more. Together, they’ll go deep into a piece of work - whether it's a highly anticipated book, an in-depth feature story, or an opinion piece – to dig into why it matters to you, what we can learn from the past, and how their work is shaping our future. Along the way, you’ll learn more about The Mooch – beyond the headlines – where he came from and how he got here. He’ll turn the pages on his own life lessons from his blue-collar upbringing and career on Wall Street to getting his teeth kicked in the White House and then, coming back stronger. He’ll offer his perspective as a self-made entrepreneur and “open book” with a lot of experience, both good and bad. Tune in every week to hear fascinating conversations you won’t get anywhere else.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 16, 202633 min

High Performance Psychologist: The #1 Fear Holding You Back From Your Full Potential

What if the biggest thing standing between you and your best life isn't failure, it's what other people think of you? Today, I sit down with world-renowned high-performance psychologist Michael Gervais to break down the hidden fear holding back even the greatest athletes, executives, and leaders on the planet. Dr. Michael Gervais is one of the world’s top high-performance psychologists and a leading expert on the relationship between the mind and human performance. He is the founder and host of the Finding Mastery Podcast, the co-creator of the Performance Science Institute at USC, and his work has been featured by NBC, ABC, FOX, CNN, ESPN, NFL Network, Red Bull TV, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Outside Magazine, WIRED, ESPN Magazine, and more. Get a copy of his transformative book The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying about What People Think of You Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

June 11, 202629 min

The Rise and Fall of a Tech Titan - Katie Prescott

Mike Lynch was a working-class kid from East London who built one of Britain's greatest tech companies, and then watched it all collapse in a fraud scandal that stretched across two continents, two courtrooms, and ultimately, cost him his life. Katie Prescott joins me on Open Book to tell the story of a man who was flawed, brilliant, damaged, and damaging — and what his rise and fall says about the way we worship billionaires and the culture we've built around them. Katie Prescott is the technology business editor at The Times and a weekly columnist for the newspaper’s award-winning business section. A regular on Times Radio and The Times’ daily podcast The Story, she is a familiar voice to millions of listeners after a decade reporting for the BBC and presenting the business news on Radio 4’s Today. She is the current host of The Times Tech Podcast, and was the winner of ‘Tech Commentator of the Year’ at the UK Tech Awards. Get a copy of her wonderful new book The Curious Case of Mike Lynch: The Improbable Life & Death of a Tech Billionaire Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

June 9, 202630 min

You Can't Understand America Without Understanding New York - Russell Shorto

Before New York was New York, it was New Amsterdam, a Dutch colony built on pluralism, capitalism, and a radical idea that tolerance could be a competitive advantage. Russell Shorto joins me on Open Book to tell the story of how a bloodless standoff in 1664 didn't just transfer a city from one empire to another, it set the genetic code for everything New York, and really America, would become. Russell Shorto is the best-selling author of eight books, including Smalltime, Revolution Song, Amsterdam, and The Island at the Center of the World. He is the director of the New Amsterdam Project at the New York Historical Society and a senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute. Russell's latest book, Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America is a must-read. I love his book The Island at the Center of the World and believe it's a must-read. Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

June 4, 202631 min

The AI Expert Who Will Change Your Mind About AI - Josh Tyrangiel

I've been saying it for years, AI is the most important conversation we're having right now. Josh Tyrangiel spent a year hunting for the people actually using it to save lives, and what he found will change the way you think about this technology forever. Josh Tyrangiel is a writer for The Atlantic. He was previously the editor of Bloomberg Businessweek and chief content officer for Bloomberg Media. A twelve-time Emmy and Peabody Award–winning producer, he created Vice News Tonight on HBO and has produced numerous feature-length documentaries for HBO, Netflix, and Apple TV. Get a copy of his thought-provoking new book AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

June 2, 202634 min

The Dark Side of FDR Nobody Talks About - David T. Beito

Most of us grew up believing FDR saved America — my grandparents certainly did. But historian David Beito just changed everything I thought I knew about one of the most celebrated presidents in American history by providing a compelling counter-narrative. David T. Beito is Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama. He is the author of The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights: The Untold Story of FDR’s Concentration Camps, Censorship, and Mass Surveillance (2023), T.R.M. Howard (biography of the civil rights pioneer, 2018), and Taxpayers in Revolt (1989, on tax resistance in the 1930s), as well as numerous scholarly and popular articles. Get a copy of his fascinating latest book, FDR: A New Political Life Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 29, 202629 min

The Ancient Secret to Finally Breaking Free From Your Past - Steven Pressfield

Back for a second time on Open Books is a living legend: Steven Pressfield!!! He's spent his entire career writing about warriors, and what he told me in this conversation stopped me cold: the only way out of the cycle is through the pain, not around it. This is one of the great writers of our generation, and trust me, you do not want to miss this one. Steven Pressfield is the author of the best-selling novels Gates of Fire and Tides of War, as well as The Legend of Bagger Vance. He is also the author of the classics on creativity, The War of Art and Turning Pro. Get a copy of his brilliant new book, The Arcadian: A Novel. Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 28, 202631 min

Bestselling Historian: The Revolution That Shouldn't Have Happened - Douglas Brunt

Before the Soviet Union, before Stalin, before communism swallowed half the world — there was one man who almost stopped all of it, and history buried him on purpose. Douglas Brunt brings him back to life, and what he uncovered will change the way you see the entire 20th century. Douglas Brunt is the New York Times bestselling author of The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel and The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel, and host of the top-rated SiriusXM author podcast Dedicated with Doug Brunt. This book truly reads like fiction. Make sure to get a copy of The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel: Romanovs, Revolutionaries, and the Forgotten Titan Who Fueled the World Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 26, 202639 min

WWII Historian: 3 Decisions That Built The West and How We're Destroying It - James Holland

James Holland is one of the greatest WWII historians alive, and his new book should be on the desk of every world leader. We get into the three decisions that built the entire postwar order, and why dismantling them might be the biggest mistake of our lifetime. James Holland, one of WWII’s finest historians, is the co-author of Victory ’45, and author of Cassino ’44, The Savage Storm, Brothers in Arms, Sicily ’43, Normandy ’44, Big Week, The Rise of Germany, and The Allies Strike Back in The War in the West trilogy, Burma ’44, and Dam Busters. He has written and presented the BAFTA shortlisted documentaries Battle of Britain and Dam Busters for the BBC, and his WWII podcast, “We Have Ways of Making You Talk,” now has millions of listeners. He is the founder of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival, and I am proud to attend again this year. I love James Holland, and his new book (OUT TODAY), The Visionaries: Bretton Woods, the Marshall Plan, and the Making of the Post-World War II Order, does not disappoint and is critical at this time. Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Here is what James Holland had to say about my new book, All The Wrong Moves: "All the Wrong Moves is a profound, compelling, and deeply thought-provoking book. Drawing on the past centuries of America’s rich history, this is a story filled with razor-sharp analysis, wisdom, and pragmatic common sense. Authoritative, incisive, often disturbing, but ultimately offering a path for redemption, it needs to be read by as wide an audience as possible." ―James Holland, author of Normandy '44 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 21, 202627 min

Why People Feel Empty, Lonely, and Like Nothing They Do Matters - Jennifer Breheny Wallace

Jenny Wallace has written the book for our moment, a masterclass on why so many of us feel empty, disconnected, and like nothing we do actually matters. This isn't just self-help; this is a diagnosis of our culture, and trust me, you need to hear it. Jennifer Breheny Wallace is an award-winning journalist and author of the New York Times bestselling book Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It, which was named an Amazon Best Book of the Year. Wallace began her journalism career at CBS's 60 Minutes and is a contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Jennifer's book Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose is critical in today's world. Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 19, 202624 min

May 2026 Q&A: Rebuilding After Trump, 3 Books That Changed My Life, Young Men in Crisis

This month's Q&A, we're getting into everything: the three books that changed how I think about money, how I went from Goldman Sachs to sick in bed on day one of my own company, and why I still say my biggest do-over would be working for Donald Trump. No scripts, no filters, just me, your questions, and the truth right off the cuff. Please keep submitting your questions below. 📚 Books mentioned in this episode: The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch Buffett: The Making of the American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein You Are the Message by Roger Ailes The Elements of Style by Strunk & White 11/22/63 by Stephen King Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices