 Penguin Random House Audio presents, The Man Who Solved the Market by Gregory Zuckerman. Read for you by Will Damron. To Gabriel and Elijah, my signals in the noise, introduction. You do know no one will speak with you, right? I was picking out a salad at a fish restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts in early September 2017, trying my best to get a British mathematician named Nick Patterson to open up about his former company, Renaissance Technologies. I wasn't having much luck. I told Patterson that I wanted to write a book about how James Simons, Renaissance's founder, had created the greatest money-making machine in financial history. Renaissance generated so much wealth that Simons and his colleagues had begun to wield enormous influence in the worlds of politics, science, education, and philanthropy. Anticipating dramatic societal shifts, Simons' harnessed algorithms, computer models, and big data before Mark Zuckerberg and his peers had a chance to finish nursery school. Patterson wasn't very encouraging. By then, Simons and his representatives had told me they weren't going to provide much help either. Renaissance executives and others close to Simons, even those I once considered friends, wouldn't return my calls or emails. Even arch-rivals begged out of meetings at Simons' request, as if he was a mafia boss they dared not offend. Over and over, I was reminded of the ironclad, 30-page nondisclosure agreements the firm forced employees to sign, preventing even retirees from divulging much. I got it, guys. But come on. I'd been at the Wall Street Journal for a couple of decades. I knew how the game was played. Subjects, even recalcitrant ones, usually come around. After all, who doesn't want a book written about them? Jim Simons and Renaissance Technologies, apparently. I wasn't entirely shocked. Simons and his team are among the most secretive traders Wall Street has encountered, loathed to drop even a hint of how they'd conquered financial markets, lest a competitor seize on any clue. These avoid media appearances and steer clear of industry conferences and most public gatherings. Simons once quoted Benjamin, the donkey in Animal Farm, to explain his attitude. God gave me a tail to keep off the flies. But I'd rather have had no tail and no flies. That's kind of the way I feel about publicity. I looked up from my meal and forced a smile. This is going to be a battle. I kept at it, probing defenses, looking for openings. Writing about Simons and learning his secrets became my fixation. The obstacles he put up only added allure to the chase. Sample complete. Ready to continue?