The America’s Cup will never be the same

This has been an  amazing week for sailing,  for Oracle team USA, for it’s crew and for Larry Ellison.

In many ways Ellison is the true manifestation of what creative destruction and Silicon Valley is all about….dreams, passion, vision, innovation and the ability to execute on all of it.

Many successful entrepreneurs possess some measure of these qualities.  But often the purpose and the playing field is small; an app, a piece of software, a new design.  All things of value.  But Larry Ellison wanted to play on a much grander scale.  He wasn't happy to just nudge the world, he wanted to change it, to shift it on it’s axis...just a bit.

Yesterday’s victory was the culmination of that effort in the world of sailing.  It’s a story that is powerful and complex, and involved people like  Norbert Bajurin and Jimmy Spithill, who would share and complement and expand on Ellison's vision and passion.  It’s a story told with equal passion by Julian Guthrie.  Julian’s book The Billionaire and the Mechanic: How Larry Ellison and a Car Mechanic Teamed Up to Win Sailing's Greatest Race, The America's Cup, sets the stage for all that came before yesterday’s race.

My conversation with Julian Guthrie: