How to Rule the World by Theo Baker.jpg
How to Rule the World by Theo Baker.jpg

How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University by Theo Baker

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Hardcover:

The instant New York Times bestseller • Named a Best Book of the Year (So Far) by New York Times, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Apple Books

“A rigorous, self-assured, propulsive, at times terrifying portrait of a dweebocracy that ‘sets the agenda for the planet’ . . . in the tradition of Michael Lewis’s Wall Street chronicle Liar’s Poker.” —The New York Times

“A romp and rollick of a read.” —Andrew Ross Sorkin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 1929

Theo Baker was seventeen when he arrived at Stanford University, expecting an education in ideas. Instead, he found a campus reshaped by Silicon Valley money, where wealthy students fielded "pre-idea" funding offers from billionaires before they'd declared a major. As a student journalist, Baker started asking questions — and the answers led him somewhere no one expected.

His reporting uncovered never-before-reported allegations of research misconduct spanning two decades in the academic record of Stanford's president, Marc Tessier-Lavigne. Facing down high-powered legal teams determined to bury the story, Baker kept digging. Within a year, Tessier-Lavigne had resigned.

Part coming-of-age story, part investigative thriller, How to Rule the World is an inside account of the students, money, and ambition shaping the next generation of Silicon Valley power — and proof that dogged journalism can still hold the powerful to account. The book has already drawn comparisons to All the President's Men, and film rights have been acquired by Amy Pascal for Warner Bros.

The instant New York Times bestseller • Named a Best Book of the Year (So Far) by New York Times, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Apple Books

“A rigorous, self-assured, propulsive, at times terrifying portrait of a dweebocracy that ‘sets the agenda for the planet’ . . . in the tradition of Michael Lewis’s Wall Street chronicle Liar’s Poker.” —The New York Times

“A romp and rollick of a read.” —Andrew Ross Sorkin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 1929

Theo Baker was seventeen when he arrived at Stanford University, expecting an education in ideas. Instead, he found a campus reshaped by Silicon Valley money, where wealthy students fielded "pre-idea" funding offers from billionaires before they'd declared a major. As a student journalist, Baker started asking questions — and the answers led him somewhere no one expected.

His reporting uncovered never-before-reported allegations of research misconduct spanning two decades in the academic record of Stanford's president, Marc Tessier-Lavigne. Facing down high-powered legal teams determined to bury the story, Baker kept digging. Within a year, Tessier-Lavigne had resigned.

Part coming-of-age story, part investigative thriller, How to Rule the World is an inside account of the students, money, and ambition shaping the next generation of Silicon Valley power — and proof that dogged journalism can still hold the powerful to account. The book has already drawn comparisons to All the President's Men, and film rights have been acquired by Amy Pascal for Warner Bros.

  • Publisher: Penguin Press

    Title: How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University

    Author: Theo Baker

    On Sale Date: May 19, 2026

    ISBN 13: 9780593832837

    ISBN 10: 0593832833

    Format: Hardcover

    Retail Price: $32.00

    BISAC: Biography & Memoir / Business

    Page Count: 336

    Dimensions: 6-1/8 in W | 9-1/4 in H

  • Theo Baker is a student journalist at Stanford University, where his reporting for The Stanford Daily uncovered never-before-reported allegations of research misconduct spanning two decades in the academic record of the university's president, Marc Tessier-Lavigne. Published as a freshman, his investigation withstood pressure from high-powered legal teams and ultimately led to Tessier-Lavigne's resignation within a year. How to Rule the World is his debut book, and film rights have already been acquired by Amy Pascal for Warner Bros.

  • Readers are calling How to Rule the World a real page-turner:

    • Reviewers describe devouring the book in one sitting, calling it as gripping as a thriller despite being entirely true.

    • Baker's investigative reporting draws consistent praise, with readers calling it proof that talent and persistence can outmatch experience and institutional power.

    • The book's inside look at Stanford and Silicon Valley culture resonates with readers, who describe it as an eye-opening account of the students learning to run the world.

    • Fans of accountability journalism say the book restores their faith in what a determined young reporter can accomplish.

This book is for you if

  • You want the inside story of how a 17-year-old freshman took down a university president.

  • You're fascinated by Silicon Valley's grip on elite higher education and what money can buy on campus.

  • You love a true story that reads like a thriller, complete with legal threats and a ticking clock.

  • You're drawn to underdog journalists who take on institutions far bigger than themselves.

  • You want to read the book before the Amy Pascal-produced film adaptation hits theaters.

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