Andrew Ross Sorkin

Andrew Ross Sorkin
Born	Andrew Ross Sorkin 2/19/1977
Birthplace	New York City, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Journalist, author, television anchor
Known for	Too Big to Fail, DealBook, Billions
Education	Cornell University (BS)
Children	3
Website	http://www.andrewrosssorkin.com/

Andrew Ross Sorkin (born February 19, 1977) is an American journalist, author, and television anchor. He's one of the most prominent financial journalists working today. He writes a financial column for The New York Times, co-anchors CNBC's Squawk Box, and founded DealBook, the influential financial news service at the Times. Sorkin wrote the bestselling Too Big to Fail (2009), a detailed account of the 2008 financial crisis that HBO later adapted into a film. He's also a co-creator of the Showtime series Billions, which explores high finance and power. In October 2025, he published 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation, drawing on hundreds of documents, many never before made public. Over nearly three decades, he's reported on some of the most important financial events and deals in modern history, earning recognition from the World Economic Forum and multiple journalism awards.

Early Life

Andrew Ross Sorkin was born on February 19, 1977, in New York City. Growing up in the New York metropolitan area meant early exposure to media and business. These would shape everything about his career. By his teenage years, he was already chasing journalism opportunities. New York City's position as the world's financial capital gave him access to the institutions and personalities that'd become his life's focus.

He started working with The New York Times while still a student, contributing before he finished his undergraduate degree. This early start was unusual. It gave him professional journalism experience most people don't get until after college, setting him up for his rapid rise in financial reporting. His work at the Times began in 1996, when he was still in his late teens.

Education

Sorkin attended Cornell University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree. His time there provided academic grounding that complemented the professional journalism experience he'd already accumulated. Cornell exposed him to diverse subjects, but his focus stayed on journalism and financial reporting throughout his college years.

Career

The New York Times and DealBook

Starting in 1996, Sorkin quickly made a name for himself at The New York Times covering mergers, acquisitions, and corporate finance. He focused on Wall Street dealmaking, corporate governance, and where business met public policy. Over time, he became one of the paper's most visible financial journalists, contributing news coverage and analytical columns both.

DealBook came next. Sorkin founded it in 2001 as a financial news service published by The New York Times. It started as an online newsletter and blog, aggregating and analyzing news about mergers, acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, and financial transactions. The service grew fast. Business executives, investors, lawyers, and policymakers flocked to it. The format—curated news summaries combined with original reporting and commentary—was innovative for its time, helping pioneer the niche online newsletter model that's everywhere now in digital media.

Over the years, DealBook expanded to include a major annual conference featuring prominent business leaders, politicians, and cultural figures. The newsletter itself evolved from a simple blog into a full section of the Times website. Sorkin remained editor and the main voice, writing columns examining current events through the lens of financial markets and corporate strategy.

As a columnist, he's written extensively about financial regulation, corporate responsibility, technology, and Wall Street's role in American life. His work frequently examines government policy and financial markets, covering major regulatory debates including the Dodd-Frank Act and subsequent financial oversight reforms.

CNBC and Television

Sorkin's also a co-anchor of Squawk Box, CNBC's morning business program. He interviews business leaders, government officials, and market analysts, covering major financial news and economic trends. His presence on the show made him a recognizable face in financial television, complementing his print and digital work.

Working for both the Times and CNBC positioned him at the intersection of print and broadcast journalism. He regularly appears on CNBC to discuss breaking news, interview CEOs and policymakers, and analyze market moves. His television work expanded his reach beyond newspaper readers and DealBook subscribers to real-time financial market viewers.

Too Big to Fail

In 2009, Sorkin published Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System—and Themselves. It's a detailed narrative account of the 2008 financial crisis. The book provided an inside look at events leading to and following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the government bailouts of major financial institutions, and the decision-making of key figures including Henry Paulson, Timothy Geithner, and Ben Bernanke.

The book became a bestseller. It's now considered one of the definitive accounts of the crisis. Sorkin drew on hundreds of interviews with Wall Street executives, government officials, and other crisis participants, providing a minute-by-minute account of those pivotal days in September and October 2008 when the global financial system seemed ready to collapse.

HBO Films adapted it into a television film that Sorkin co-produced. The adaptation dramatized the book's events with prominent actors portraying real-life figures from the crisis. It brought the financial crisis story to a broader audience and solidified Sorkin's reputation as Wall Street's chronicler.

Billions

Sorkin co-created Billions, a television drama that premiered on Showtime. Set in New York finance, the series explores a powerful hedge fund manager and a U.S. Attorney, examining wealth, power, ambition, and corruption. He co-created it with Brian Koppelman and David Levien, bringing his deep knowledge of Wall Street culture and the legal and regulatory landscape to the show.

The series ran for multiple seasons and attracted significant viewership. Critics and audiences recognized it for detailed financial industry depiction, complex characters, and exploration of moral ambiguities in the pursuit of wealth and power. Sorkin's involvement brought authenticity to the Wall Street portrayal.

1929

October 2025 brought 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation. It's Sorkin's comprehensive history of the 1929 stock market crash. The book draws on hundreds of documents, many previously unpublished, reconstructing events before and after the crash.

In promoting the book, Sorkin described 1929 as a story of excessive leverage and irrational speculation. He drew parallels between conditions before the 1929 crash and aspects of contemporary financial markets. He appeared on CBS's 60 Minutes discussing what he called worrying similarities between the pre-crash environment of 1929 and financial conditions of the mid-2020s.

An essay in The New York Times connected to the book's release made his argument clear: speculation isn't just a flaw in America's economic system. It's fundamental to the economic engine. Risk-taking and speculation have driven American economic growth throughout history.

Multiple media outlets and academic institutions paid attention. The Hoover Institution featured Sorkin discussing whether 2025 conditions resembled those of the late 1920s. He also appeared on Anand Giridharadas's program discussing the AI bubble, corporate power concentration, and what CEOs fear today.

For the podcast Conversations with Tyler, Sorkin discussed the 1929 lessons as they apply to banking regulation, market bubbles, and financial speculation dynamics with Tyler Cowen.

Public Broadcasting and Other Media

He's also worked in public television. At WNET/Thirteen, the New York public television station, he contributed to economic coverage.

Personal Life

Sorkin was born and raised in New York City, where he still lives. He has three children. He keeps his personal life mostly private, letting his professional work speak for itself. His personal website covers his professional activities and publications.

Recognition

Multiple organizations have recognized Sorkin's journalism and media work. DealBook won a Webby Award, one of the internet industry's top honors, for quality and influence as an online publication. It also received an EPpy Award for online media excellence. The Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) recognized it too in their annual contest.

The World Economic Forum named Sorkin to its Young Global Leaders list. That's for people under 40 considered leaders in their fields. Vanity Fair's "Next Establishment" list also included him, identifying rising figures in media, technology, and finance.

Business Insider put him on its "Silicon Alley 100" list recognizing influential figures in New York's technology and media landscape. A "40 Under 40" list also featured him.

He's participated in events at UCLA Anderson School of Management, showing his engagement with academic institutions focused on business and finance.

Legacy

Sorkin's career spans the transformation of financial journalism. It went from traditional print to digital media and television. When he founded DealBook in 2001, he was building a branded digital news product inside a legacy newspaper. That model's been widely copied since. DealBook grew from a blog into a multi-platform news operation with a major annual conference, showing what niche financial journalism could accomplish with a dedicated, influential audience.

Too Big to Fail shaped how people understood the 2008 financial crisis. It became a reference point in discussions of financial regulation, systemic risk, and "too big to fail" institutions. The book's detailed narrative approach, reconstructing events through extensive interviews and documentation, influenced how subsequent financial crises and corporate events got reported.

Through Billions, Sorkin brought Wall Street's culture and dynamics to mainstream television audiences. The show's financial detail combined with dramatic storytelling reflected his ability to translate finance into narratives regular people could follow.

With 1929 in 2025, he moved from contemporary financial events to historical analysis. He examined one of America's most consequential economic events. His argument that speculation is integral to the American economic system, not merely destructive, contributed to ongoing debates about financial markets and regulation's role.

His career spans multiple platforms: print, digital, television, film, and scripted entertainment. That makes him one of the most visible financial journalists of his generation. His work consistently examines where Wall Street, Washington, and the public interest intersect. Reporting and commentary from his work reach audiences across the entire media landscape.