Laurie worked for 8 years in finance as a research analyst in two investment banks, Citigroup and Dresdner Kleinwort, and in a technology venture capital fund. This background provided the inspiration for the book, namely seeing how the short-termism of financial markets feeds into companies. He received a double 1st in Economics from Cambridge University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He recently launched a crowdfunded bid to buy The Times from Rupert Murdoch, which while unsuccessful gained a decent amount of press coverage and pledges from the public. The campaign was backed by the Young Foundation. He has recently started writing for The Huffington Post.