Premium summer big reads: The making of a radical and the money whisperer to the stars

Caleb Cain spent years consumed by what he calls a 'decentralised cult' of far-right YouTube personalities. Photo / Justin T. Gellerson, The New York Times

The New Zealand Herald is bringing back some of the best stories of 2019 from our premium international syndicators, including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Times of London and Harvard Business Review.

This morning we look at the man brainwashed via YouTube, NBA's money man, the downfall of Jamie Oliver's restaurant empire, office romances and the beach to the stars.

Making of a radical: How YouTube videos brainwashed me

Caleb Cain was a college dropout looking for direction. He turned to YouTube.

Soon, he was pulled into a far-right universe, watching thousands of videos filled with conspiracy theories, misogyny and racism.

"I was brainwashed," he tells Kevin Roose of The New York Times.

Critics say that YouTube has created a dangerous on-ramp to extremism. Photo / Justin T. Gellerson, The New York Times

Meet the money whisperer to the super-rich NBA elite

Every day of Joe McLean's job, as the premier wealth manager of the NBA elite, requires him to make the kind of purchases that most of us make only once or twice in a lifetime.

So who is the man that NBA stars trust to manage their wealth?

Devin Gordon of The New York Times meets the man protecting the assets of some of the biggest names in sport.

Joe McLean came within an eyelash of making an NBA. roster. He left sports for a decade - and then discovered a way back. Photo / Winni Wintermeyer, The New York Times

It's not always excellent to be Jamie Oliver

Twenty years after he vaulted to fame, the brash British chef, TV star and cookbook author has lost his restaurant empire — but not his taste for hard work.

Kim Severson of The New York Times talks to Jamie Oliver about business and bankruptcy.

Jamie Oliver making ravioli at his headquarters in North London. Photo / John Kernick, The New York Times

Forbidden love: The changing attitudes to office romance

As boardrooms and human resource departments reckon with the MeToo revolution, the rules of sexual engagements are being rewritten, especially for those at the top.

The Financial Times looks at how today, romantic liaisons are often considered to be a firing offence.

• Policing office romance in the #MeToo era

As workplaces reckon with the MeToo revolution, the rules of sexual engagements at work are being rewritten. Photo / Getty Images

Newport: Hollywood's beach to the stars

Humphrey Bogart and his friends loved California's Newport Beach, and from the water, it is still easy to understand why.

Debra Kamin of The New York Times explores where Hollywood's golden age stars found safe harbour.

Beachfront to the stars: Newport beach is a Hollywood favourite. Photo / The New York Times