BusinessWeek Cover Stories 1l33n

The Products are real, and so is the strategy. Is Obama campaign manager Jim Messina ahead of his time or out of his mind?

How did the George twins build an illegal prescription painkilling empire? A few pills at a time

Unemployment is a closely watched statistic, and for 12.5 million Americans, a humbling reality. The percentage of people out of work peaked at 10 percent in October 2009, and while the rate hovers stubbornly at 8.1 percent, at least some of the long-term unemployed are beginning to find permanent jobs. This spring, Bloomberg Businessweek assigned 11 photographers to follow 12 people as they returned to the workplace after absences ranging from seven months to three and a half years. Each story is unique, yet there are common themes: feelings of uselessness, the disturbing ease with which one's professional identity slips away, the humiliation of asking family or friends for a loan, and, finally, the rewards of adaptability and persistence.

On the eve of Facebook's IPO, a look at the daring decisions that took the social network's price tag from $1 billion to about 100 times as much

How a relatively minor oil spill turned Chevron into a pariah in Brazil and obscured the nation's struggle to tap its newfound reserves

The fall of Bo Xilai reveals a culture of greed, violence, and deceit. Is this any place to do business?

One week as a member of a factory-floor efficiency squad

The unbelievable true tale of how the stumbling, bumbling SEC cracked the biggest insider trading case in history -- and became the scourge of Wall Street in the process

Think of this issue of Bloomberg Businessweek as a cocktail party. In the most obvious sense, it's all about the mix of guests. Our second annual How To special packs in CEOs, tech visionaries, U.S. senators, an NFL referee, an artist, and, for good measure, an 11-year-old and a 106-year-old. While the diversity of their accomplishments is impressive, it's their candor that makes this issue memorable. From the philosophical (Zynga's Mark Pincus on how to fail, musician Stefon Harris on how to improvise) to the managerial (Google's Marissa Mayer on avoiding burnout, Rahm Emanuel on motivating people) to the practical (Michael Kors on how to dress for work, Howard Schultz on brewing coffee at home), our guest contributors share their expertise with uncommon honesty and exuberance. So turn the page and start mingling.

Nina Olson, the national taxpayer advocate, is leading frustrated filers through the IRS labyrinth

Steve Jobs called Google's Android operating system "grand theft" and vowed to destroy it. But the legal war he started before he died could do Apple more harm than good

How much credit can the Obama istration take for the improving economy?

Chinese corporate espionage is "the greatest transfer of wealth in history," says the U.S. National Security Agency's director. And growing evidence says China's intelligence agencies are involved

Bloomberg Businessweek's travel issue

Chaos and fail whales couldn't stop it. Now Twitter, which for years treated earnings as an annoyance, is about to cash in

In 1995, Randy Johnson lost his job after Bain Capital bought the struggling paper company where he worked. Armed with a pile of fading documents, he has tormented Romney ever since.

Kim Dotcom started Mega, made filesharing explode, and now sits in a New Zealand jail, charged with conspiracy, racketeering, and more. A hacker supreme's ridiculous rise and fall.

Continental and United have undeniable corporate chemistry, but is it a love built to last? An inside look at the complexity and absurdity of making the world's largest airline.

Cooler tech, more energy, higher profit -- the Microsoft CEO is out to prove Steve Jobs wrong and make Redmond relevant again

High-powered CEO moms, and the stay-at-home dads who love them, turn the old expression "behind every great man ..." on its head