Michael R. Bloomberg

Mayor, Entrepreneur

Does a man like Mike Bloomberg need an introduction?

Yes and no. We know he is an entrepreneurial billionaire

who pioneered a state-of-the art system for reporting and

interpreting financial data. We know he is a devoted father

and son. But what would make a man who is literally on top

of the world take a step to a parallel universe and want to

become mayor of New York City?

Michael R. Bloomberg is the 108th Mayor of the City of

New York. He was born on February 14, 1942, to middle-class

parents in Medford, Massachusetts, where his father was the

bookkeeper at a local dairy. After his college graduation, he

earned an MBA from Harvard University. In the summer of

1966, he was hired by Salomon Brothers to work on Wall Street.

He founded the Bloomberg LP in 1981, turning an initial

order for 20 terminals into a multimedia, analytical news

service supplying information to almost every country. Bloomberg

Financial Markets is a global distributor of information

services, combining news, data, and analysis for global financial

markets and businesses. As the business proved its

viability, the company branched out and in 1990 Bloomberg

LP entered the media business, launching a news service

and then radio, television, Internet, and publishing operations.

Bloomberg Financial Markets has revolutionized financial

communication.

What were the experiences that had such a marked effect

on the person Mike Bloomberg is today? Did he apprentice

during his childhood years for a business titan (is that how he

became this giant of industry and leader of the capital of the

world?)? His narrative surprises us and gives us some insight

into what strong cultural programming—a summer at boy

scout camp and exceptional leadership—can do for a child’s

sense of self.