Andrew Ross Sorkin is an American journalist, author, and television anchor born on February 19, 1977, in New York City. He is best known as the co-anchor of CNBC’s Squawk Box and as the founder of DealBook, the financial news franchise published by The New York Times.
His bestselling book Too Big to Fail cemented his place as one of the most important financial journalists of his generation.
Who is Andrew Ross Sorkin?
Andrew Ross Sorkin is one of America’s most influential voices in business and financial journalism.
He has spent more than three decades covering Wall Street, corporate power, and the intersection of money and politics.
Few journalists have built a career that spans print, broadcast television, and Hollywood production at the same time.
He is the founder and editor-at-large of DealBook, a daily financial newsletter and annual summit that has become one of the most closely followed platforms in global business media.
His annual DealBook Summit in New York regularly draws world leaders, tech billionaires, and top CEOs to the stage. Leaders such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates have all appeared in conversations moderated by Sorkin.
Beyond his reporting, Sorkin co-created the hit Showtime drama series Billions, which ran for seven seasons. He is also the author of two major books on financial crises, each of which became a New York Times bestseller. Sorkin is regarded by peers and readers as a rare triple threat in modern media.
Few journalists have matched his reach and influence across so many platforms at once.
Early Life of Andrew Ross Sorkin
Andrew Ross Sorkin grew up in Scarsdale, New York, a suburb just north of New York City. His father, Laurence T. Sorkin, is a prominent attorney and partner at the law firm Cahill Gordon and Reindel.
His mother, Joan Ross Sorkin, is a playwright and lyricist. Growing up in that household, Sorkin was surrounded by intellectual curiosity from an early age.
He attended Scarsdale High School and graduated in 1995. Even before finishing high school, he had already begun writing for one of the world’s most prestigious newspapers. That early start set the tone for everything that followed.
His interest in finance and storytelling developed together, not separately. Both passions would define his entire career.
Andrew Ross Sorkin Age
Andrew Ross Sorkin is 49 years old as of 2026, born on February 19, 1977. He remains one of the most active and recognized figures in American financial journalism.
Andrew Ross Sorkin Ethnicity and Nationality
Andrew Ross Sorkin is American by nationality. He is of Jewish heritage. He grew up in New York and has built his entire career in the city where he was born.
Andrew Ross Sorkin Education
Sorkin began interning at The New York Times during his senior year of high school in 1995. He published articles for the paper even while still in school. That remarkable start was a sign of what was to come.
After graduating high school, he enrolled at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications in 1999.
During his time at Cornell, he continued contributing to The New York Times, publishing 71 articles in the paper before he received his degree.
He was also a member of the Sigma Pi fraternity during his college years. Sorkin’s education gave him a strong foundation in communication theory, which he combined with his already-developing expertise in financial journalism.
Andrew Ross Sorkin Career
Early Years at The New York Times
After graduating from Cornell in 1999, Sorkin joined The New York Times full time as a reporter covering European business, mergers, and acquisitions.
He quickly established himself as a sharp and tireless reporter. Within a short time, he was breaking news on some of the biggest corporate deals in history.
He covered Vodafone’s $183 billion hostile bid for Mannesmann, which remains one of the largest corporate takeovers ever recorded. He also broke the story of IBM’s historic sale of its PC business to Lenovo in 2004. Each scoop added to a reputation for getting important stories first.
That reputation was built quietly but steadily throughout his early years.
Founding DealBook
In 2001, Sorkin founded DealBook, a daily financial newsletter published by The New York Times. It started as an early-morning briefing on mergers, acquisitions, and deal activity on Wall Street.
Over time, it grew into one of the most widely read financial publications in the country.
DealBook later expanded into an annual in-person summit held in New York City. The event became a major gathering of global business and political leaders.
Sorkin’s reputation as a moderator and interviewer helped transform the DealBook Summit into a premier stage for high-stakes conversations.
CNBC’s Squawk Box
In 2011, Sorkin joined CNBC as a co-anchor of Squawk Box, the network’s signature three-hour morning program airing weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. Eastern time. The show covers markets, economic policy, and business news as trading floors around the world open for the day.
Sorkin’s presence brought serious editorial depth to the program.
He joined co-anchors Joe Kernen and Becky Quick on a desk that had already become essential viewing for Wall Street professionals. His dual role at both CNBC and The New York Times made him uniquely positioned in American media.
No other journalist at the time held major positions at two such prominent outlets simultaneously.
Too Big to Fail
In 2009, Sorkin published Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System and Themselves.
The book offered an unprecedented behind-the-scenes account of the 2008 financial crisis, drawing on extensive access to key players at major banks, the Federal Reserve, and the U.S. Treasury. It became an immediate New York Times bestseller, spending more than six months on the list in both hardcover and paperback editions.
The book won the 2010 Gerald Loeb Award for Best Business Book. It was also shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award. Those honors confirmed its place as the definitive account of one of history’s most consequential financial events.
HBO Films adapted Too Big to Fail into a film in 2011. Sorkin served as co-producer on the project, which went on to receive 11 Emmy Award nominations. The film starred William Hurt, James Woods, and Paul Giamatti, among others.
Billions and Hollywood
Sorkin co-created the Showtime drama series Billions, which premiered in 2016. The show explored the high-stakes world of hedge funds, federal prosecutors, and financial power in New York. It starred Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis and ran for seven seasons across 84 episodes.
The series drew wide critical praise for its sharp writing and authentic portrayal of Wall Street culture. Sorkin’s insider knowledge of finance gave the show a layer of credibility that set it apart from other business dramas. It was one of Showtime’s most-watched programs throughout its run.
His move into scripted television added a third dimension to an already remarkable career.
1929 and Recent Work
In October 2025, Sorkin published his second major book, 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History and How It Shattered a Nation. The book examined the events leading up to and following the stock market crash of 1929, drawing on years of research.
It debuted as a number-one New York Times bestseller and was named among former President Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2025.
The book represented an eight-year project for Sorkin, reflecting his commitment to deep historical reporting on financial catastrophe.
In 2025, he was also inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame for his contributions to financial and business journalism. That recognition placed him alongside some of the most celebrated figures in broadcast history.
Andrew Ross Sorkin Books and Publications
| Year | Title | Publisher | Notable Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Too Big to Fail | Viking | Gerald Loeb Award, NYT Bestseller, HBO film |
| 2025 | 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History | Simon & Schuster | No. 1 NYT Bestseller, Obama favorite books list |
Andrew Ross Sorkin Awards and Recognition
Sorkin has accumulated a strong list of honors across journalism and media throughout his career.
- Gerald Loeb Award for Best Business Book (2010) for Too Big to Fail
- Gerald Loeb Award for Breaking News (2004) for IBM-Lenovo scoop
- Society of American Business Editors and Writers Award for Breaking News (2005 and 2006)
- Emmy Award (2022) for his New York Times interview with WeWork founder Adam Neumann
- World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (2007)
- Cable Hall of Fame Inductee (2025)
- Council on Foreign Relations term member
- Vanity Fair “Next Establishment” list (2008 and 2009)
Andrew Ross Sorkin Wife
Andrew Ross Sorkin married Pilar Jenny Queen on June 9, 2007. His wife is a literary agent who has represented bestselling authors for more than two decades. The couple has kept their personal life largely private throughout their marriage.
Pilar Queen was born in New York City and studied at Northwestern University before building her career in literary representation. She has worked with several major agencies and represents a wide range of high-profile authors.
The couple shares a home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where they have lived since purchasing a co-op for $4.25 million in 2017.
Their relationship has remained one of the more private aspects of Sorkin’s otherwise very public life.
Andrew Ross Sorkin Children
Andrew Ross Sorkin and Pilar Queen have three children together: two sons named Henry and Robin, and a daughter named Sidney. The couple has kept most details about their children’s lives out of the public eye.
Sorkin rarely discusses his family in interviews, preferring to maintain clear boundaries between his professional and personal worlds.
Andrew Ross Sorkin Net Worth
Andrew Ross Sorkin’s estimated net worth is $12 million as of 2025. His income comes from multiple sources across journalism, television, book publishing, and speaking engagements.
Sorkin’s role as co-anchor of CNBC’s Squawk Box reportedly earns him an annual salary estimated between $350,000 and $800,000.
His column and editorial role at The New York Times adds further to his annual income. Book royalties from Too Big to Fail and his 2025 release 1929 contribute ongoing earnings.
Sorkin also commands speaking fees reportedly ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 per appearance, reflecting his standing as one of the most in-demand voices in business media.
He and his wife own real estate on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where the family is based.
Andrew Ross Sorkin Social Media
Sorkin is active on X, formerly Twitter, where he regularly shares reporting, commentary, and links to his latest work. His professional updates and DealBook coverage reach a large audience through that platform.
He also maintains a presence through the DealBook newsletter, which is distributed daily to subscribers worldwide.
He is also reachable through his official website at andrewrosssorkin.com, where his full biography and career history are documented. His media appearances extend beyond CNBC to include NBC’s Today show, PBS NewsHour, and NPR’s Talk of the Nation.
Sorkin is also a frequent moderator at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, each year.
The Bottom Line
Andrew Ross Sorkin has built one of the most remarkable careers in modern American journalism.
From founding DealBook at 24, to writing the definitive account of the 2008 financial crisis, to co-creating a hit television drama and publishing a second bestseller in 2025, his record stands in a category of its own.
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