The Haves and Have-Yachts

Field Notes from the Frontier of American Excess (t)

By: Evan Osnos

Narrated by: Evan Osnos

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker and The Times (London)

From National Book Award–winning author Evan Osnos comes a “sharp…charming…regrettably timely” (The Washington Post) collection of essays exploring American oligarchy, billionaire culture, and the new Gilded Age, offering a wry, unfiltered look at how the ultrarich shape—and sometimes warp—our social and political landscape.

The one percent now hold more of America’s wealth than they did in the heyday of the Carnegies and Rockefellers. In this incisive work of reportage, Osnos paints an unforgettable portrait of the tactics and obsessions that define today’s elite class: superyachts, luxury bunkers, tax dodges, and a torrent of political donations that bespeak staggering disparities of wealth and power.

With deft storytelling and meticulous reporting, this is a book about the indulgences, incentives, and psychological distortions that define our economic age. In each essay, Osnos lifts the curtain on a world rarely seen, from the outrageous to the surreal: a private wealth manager betraying an American dynasty; pop stars performing at lavish parties for children; status anxiety spilling from marinas in Monaco and Palm Beach like real-world episodes of Succession or The White Lotus.

Readers will meet disgraced moguls in a “white-collar support group,” unravel the largest Ponzi scheme in Hollywood history, and explore the global ambitions of tech tycoons, including Mark Zuckerberg. A celebrated political reporter, Osnos documents the unprecedented influence Silicon Valley and Wall Street now have on Washington—and the explosive backlash this influence provokes.

Originally published in The New Yorker, these essays have been revised and expanded to deliver an “eye-opening account” (The Guardian) of raw ambition, unimaginable fortune, and the rise of America’s modern oligarchy. Osnos’s essays are a wake-up call—a case against complacency in the face of unchecked excess, as the choices of the ultrarich ripple through our lives. Entertaining, unsettling, and eye-opening, The Haves and the Have-Yachts couldn’t be more relevant to today’s world.

Brilliant!

Throughly researched and and a brilliant read, I enjoyed ever moment of this book. It is eye opening, surprising, brings insight into the current (2025) chaos. the audiobook includes "Updates for 2025" that would not be included in the IRL book.

Very informative and well crafted

Very informative, it shows the true intentions of some of the wealthy and how they influence governments and the world at large.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I don’t think most people don’t get what is going on in this country, especially with rich people, between insider trading, tax cheating by the rich through manipulation of tax laws, and outright breaking the laws. One part of the book towards the end is the fact that if other people can get away with this, I can too! A great read to understand how the poor people get F**ked by the rich, and mostly get away with it.

Morals matter. Character counts. Ethics explain. .

Great presentation of roots and consequences of income inequality. Definitely worth the read/listen. First and last chapters are brilliant.

Who should the American people fear The super wealthy or immigrants?

I have always feared the super wealthy. They are true enemies of the people, not immigrants, not black people , and certainly not LGBTQ people. They have true power- money, control, and influence. They prey on the American people by pitting them against each other through their influence and propaganda. They have money which allows them to win court battles through attrition and they control the political system which keeps their taxes low and their opportunities afloat. The author tells this story well. The author also makes it clear there will never be enough money to satisfy this group of people. My only wish is that I live long enough to hopefully see the American people wake up and see these people for who they really are. Only then will Americans shake off the yoke of the wealthy and get a fair shake from their government.