I found his interviews really compelling and thought about getting the book. But I had this nagging thought the whole time -- you know, I've been hearing about HFT for years, could it really be some super-secret cabal? The linked article does itself no favors with its pissy tone. I almost didn't read through it, but I'm glad I did, because I learned quite a bit. As always, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
Michael Lewis is a master of taking something complicated and turning it into a clever narrative. However, this narrative is simpler than, say, Moneyball: bad guys are "stealing" from good guys, there's a detective story about figuring out how it's happening, and there's a build-a-better-mousetrap montage at the end. It's too perfect. Odds are there's a screenwriter crunching this sucker down into three acts right at this moment.
Michael Lewis is a master of taking something complicated and turning it into a clever narrative. However, this narrative is simpler than, say, Moneyball: bad guys are "stealing" from good guys, there's a detective story about figuring out how it's happening, and there's a build-a-better-mousetrap montage at the end. It's too perfect. Odds are there's a screenwriter crunching this sucker down into three acts right at this moment.