BIOGRAPHY

John A. Byrne
Executive Editor/Editor-in-Chief
BusinessWeek.com

John A. Byrne is the executive editor and editor-in-chief of BusinessWeek.com. In this role, Mr. Byrne is responsible for the editorial operations of BusinessWeek.com and will guide the further integration and collaboration between the print and online editorial staffs. Prior to this, he was the executive editor for the print publication since 2005.

Previously, Mr. Byrne was editor-in-chief of Fast Company magazine. He joined Fast Company in April 2003, succeeding founding editors Alan Webber and Bill Taylor, where he worked to reinvent the business magazine. Before joining Fast Company, he worked for BusinessWeek for nearly 18 years, most recently holding the position of Senior Writer and authoring a record 57 cover stories for the magazine. His articles have explored the fairness of executive pay, the folly of management fads, and the governance of major corporations. Mr. Byrne developed the idea of a monthly best-sellers list, launched the industry-leading business school rankings, established and managed the magazine’s ranking of the best and worst corporate boards, and created the list of the most generous philanthropists.

Mr. Byrne is the author of eight books on business, leadership, and management. His latest book, published Sept. 11, 2001 by Warner Books, is Jack: Straight from the Gut, his highly anticipated collaboration with former General Electric Co. CEO Jack Welch. The book debuted at the very top of The New York Times bestseller list. Byrne has written or co-authored seven other books, including Chainsaw (HarperCollins, 1999), the behind-the-scenes story of Al Dunlap’s rise and fall as a business celebrity. The book received widespread acclaim. Publishers Weekly called the book a “blistering saga” and a “sizzling tale.” The Street.com said Chainsaw “should be required reading in all business and accounting schools.”

Byrne’s other books include: Informed Consent (McGraw-Hill, 1995); The Headhunters (MacMillan, 1986); Odyssey (Harper & Row, 1987), the business biography of former Apple Computer chairman John Sculley; and The Whiz Kids (Currency/Doubleday, 1993), which explored the life and times of ten Army Air Force officers who helped to remake the Ford Motor Co. in the post-war period. Managment guru Tom Peters called the book “an important milestone in American management analysis. Warren Bennis has said the book is “the best history of American business from World War II to the present.” Byrne also wrote BusinessWeek’s Guide to the Best Business Schools (McGraw-Hill, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, and 1997) and co-wrote BusinessWeek’s Guide to the Best Executive Education Programs (McGraw-Hill, 1992).

Mr. Byrne has a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri and an undergraduate degree in English and political science from William Paterson College.

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