Episode

How Bill Wilson Cofounded Alcoholics Anonymous and Created a Lasting Social Movement

Podcast
Cold Call
Published
Jun 10, 2025
Duration seconds
1414
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://hbr.org/podcast/2025/06/how-bill-wilson-cofounded-alcoholics-anonymous-and-created-a-lasting-social-movement
Audio
https://audio.hbr.org/cold-call/20250609095218-258_HowBillWilsonCofoundedAlcoholicsAnonymousandCreatedaLastingSocialMovement.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/cold-call-634317/episodes/how-bill-wilson-cofounded-alcoholics-anonymous-and-created-a-lasting-social-movement
Markdown
/podcast/cold-call-634317/how-bill-wilson-cofounded-alcoholics-anonymous-and-created-a-lasting-social-movement.md

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Summary

Bill Wilson was an incredibly entrepreneurial young man with tremendous potential. He was also a drunk, until an epiphany made him sober. With his personal drive and fellowship with former drinking buddies, Wilson built a social movement and worldwide organization. Founded in 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous has helped millions of “friends of Bill” recover from alcohol addiction. In this episode of Cold Call, HBS Professor Robert Simons joins host Brian Kenny to discuss the case, “Bill Wilson: Changing the World.” They explore how Wilson navigated life’s choices, transformed his life and those of others, and left a lasting impact on the world.