Bloomberg Black Book 2020: Official Response and Documentation

What happened with the "fake staff" photographs and Anil Raj?

The 2020 reporting identified a photograph of Anil Raj displayed under another person's name on Black Book's website. That photograph should not have been presented as someone else. Our June 29, 2020 response described outsourced website reconstruction and said an administrative-services supplier had provided an incorrect photograph. ^{[1] [2]}

Our contemporaneous explanation was that outsourced billing and collections work was being performed. That explanation is not, by itself, verification of every name, biography or photograph that appeared online. Accurate staff identification and evidence supporting survey findings are separate responsibilities. ^[1]

What do Black Book's crowd-sourced surveys measure?

Black Book describes its research as collecting users' opinions about products, services and client experience. Our published rankings methodology provides for respondent authentication, submission review and panel validation, and says unauthenticated submissions are excluded. ^{[3] [4]}

A study should be assessed through its own evidence: who was eligible, how participants were recruited, when responses were collected, the number of respondents for each vendor, the questions asked, and the rules for exclusions and scoring. A large overall response count does not establish that every vendor comparison is equally well supported. Transparency about these elements is central to evaluating survey research. ^[7]

Readers comparing rankings should also check the product, market segment, respondent population and study period. Different results from different studies are not necessarily contradictory; a valid comparison requires comparable scope.

Do vendors pay for rankings or report licenses?

Black Book's published policy prohibits compensation for ranking inclusion or improved placement. It states that results are finalized before vendors are notified and that vendors may subsequently obtain reports. ^[5]

Black Book does sell research products and licensing rights. Depending on the product, these can include report distribution, seal artwork and promotional support. These are commercial relationships. Our independence policy concerns whether payment can influence a ranking, not whether a vendor ever purchases something from Black Book. ^{[5] [6]}

The distinction must be testable: purchasing a license is not purchasing the right to determine a score, select a winner or change a published result. Questions about a particular transaction should be assessed using the applicable agreement, the report's scoring record and the timing of publication and purchase.

Does a ranking constitute a vendor endorsement?

Black Book's stated position is that it does not recommend vendors. A study-specific ranking should not be represented as a universal product certification or a guarantee of outcomes. Buyers should examine the population and category studied and conduct their own procurement assessment. ^[3]

What conclusions does Black Book dispute?

We disagree with treating inaccurate staff-page material, by itself, as proof that survey responses were invented, or a licensing transaction, by itself, as proof that a vendor purchased its ranking. Those conclusions require evidence about the research or transaction in question.

This is not a claim that the 2020 article omitted our position: the accessible reporting included Black Book's denial of charging vendors to be ranked. Our response asks readers to distinguish acknowledged website problems, disputed interpretations and the evidence needed to evaluate particular studies. ^[2]

A general policy statement cannot resolve every report-specific criticism. Questions about particular passages, correspondence or rankings should identify the report edition, date and material at issue so that the relevant records can be examined.

2026 update: one standing response and a dated record

This page brings Black Book's historical response and current policy links together in one location. The June 29, 2020 statement remains a historical company account; the linked methodology and licensing pages describe Black Book's published policies. They should be read with those distinctions intact. ^{[1] [4] [5] [6]}

Publishing this response does not imply that Bloomberg has issued a retraction or that an independent audit has resolved every disputed matter. Readers and journalists are invited to review the source documents and direct specific questions to Black Book.

Source documents

Company statements establish what Black Book has said; they are not independent findings. Current links were reviewed on September 17, 2026. The reporting link below is a secondary reproduction, not Bloomberg's own publication page.

1. Black Book response dated June 29, 2020 (historical company statement, PDF)
2. Accessible reproduction of the 2020 reporting (Research Snappy, July 1, 2020; secondary copy)
3. Black Book FAQ (includes historical company disclosures)
4. Black Book Rankings Methodology and Independence
5. Black Book Mission Statement and Policy on Vendor Neutrality
6. Black Book Research Store and licensing descriptions
7. AAPOR Transparency Initiative: disclosure principles

Media and research inquiries

Douglas Brown, Founder, Black Book Research
doug.brown@blackbookmarketresearch.com

For research questions: research@blackbookmarketresearch.com