A dealmaker's odyssey

In 1983, while pursuing a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from St. Stephens College, Delhi, the author of The Money Trap receives career advice from a friend of his father who taught statistics at Wharton. The latter suggests he should do an MBA in Finance. "Americans are scared of maths, we (Indians) are good at it," is his pitch. Alok Sama, whose ambition then is to solve Fermat's last theorem, accepts his counsel and flees the India of Licence Permit Raj and shortages.

- SANJAY KUMAR SINGH

He joins Morgan Stanley, where he slogs 16 hours each day during the week and another 16 over the weekend. He sets up its offices in Hong Kong and Mumbai. Many early morning flights and late night conference calls later, he is anointed managing director. But when the internet bubble bursts and his biggest client goes bankrupt, he is forced out. "They come for you when the bonus pool is tight," he writes.

In 2014, his friend Nikesh Arora (earlier chief business officer at Google where he reportedly earned $51 million a year), gets married. Mr Arora has recently joined SoftBank (on an annual package of $73 million). After the wedding, Mr Arora invites the author to join SoftBank. As Mr Arora puts it, he wants someone in the room when deals are being struck whom he can trust. Mr Sama accepts. This autobiographical account is primarily about his stint at SoftBank.