An explosive exposé of a firm whose work has made your world more unequal, more corrupt and more dangerous.

McKinsey & Company have earned billions consulting for almost every major corporation in the world – and countless governments, including yours. Shielded by NDAs, their practices have remained hidden – until now.

In this propulsive investigation, prize-winning journalists Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe reveal the disturbing reality. McKinsey’s work includes ruthless cuts to the NHS, troubleshooting for Big Oil, incentivising the prescription of opioids, executing Trump’s immigration policies (the ones that put children in cages) as well as advising some of the world’s most unsavoury despots.

‘A story of secrecy, delusion and untold harm’ OBSERVER

‘Makes you so angry…the evidence the authors winkle out is astonishing’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘Panoramic, meticulously reported and ultimately devastating’ PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE

‘A harrowing account of decades of dishonourable exploits’ ECONOMIST

‘Panoramic, meticulously reported and ultimately devastating’ Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Empire of Pain
‘Masterful … superb’ Washington Post
‘Every page made my blood boil’ Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel laureate, author of The Price of Inequality

McKinsey earns billions advising almost every major corporation as well as countless governments, including Britain’s, the USA’s and China’s. It boasts of its ability to maximise efficiency while making the world a better place. Its millionaire partners and network of alumni go on to top jobs in the world’s most powerful organisations. And yet, shielded by non-disclosure agreements, its work remains largely secret – until now.

In this propulsive investigation, two prize-winning journalists reveal the reality. McKinsey’s work includes incentivising the prescription of opioids; ruthless cost-cutting in the NHS; executing Trump’s immigration policies (the ones that put children in cages). Meanwhile its vast profits derive from a client roster that has included the coal, tobacco and vaping industries, as well as some of the world’s most unsavoury despots. And for the last six decades, McKinsey has been the brains behind many of the most loathed and controversial business practices: mass lay-offs, outsourcing overseas, soaring executive pay, as well as the key innovations that led to the financial crash.

McKinsey proudly insists it is a values-led organisation. When McKinsey Comes to Town is a parable of values betrayed: a devastating portrait of a firm whose work has often made the world more unequal, more corrupt and more dangerous.