📰Business Leaders & Corporate Raiders

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The leader who transformed Microsoft from stagnant monopolist to cloud computing leader through cultural revolution. Nadella embodies the Healer—using Empathy to diagnose a sick corporate culture, applying Intuition to see what Microsoft could become. His Visionary nature balanced Progress with Conservation of Microsoft's strengths, while bringing Vulnerability to a company that had forgotten humility.

Key Moments

• CEO Appointment: The Healer arriving—Microsoft's board choosing Empathy and growth mindset over the aggressive style that had defined the company.
• Cloud Transformation: The Visionary's Progress—pivoting a desktop software company to cloud, reading the future correctly when competitors stumbled.
• Growth Mindset Culture: The Guide's method—bringing Carol Dweck's work into corporate practice, teaching Beginner's Mind to an organization that thought it knew everything.

Archetypes

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Character Arc

The architect of the largest Ponzi scheme in history, destroying wealth and lives through decades of calculated deception. Madoff represents the shadow Magician perfected—Knowledge of markets used purely for Manipulation, the Seducer's Charm building trust only to betray it. His Tyrant nature wielded Power over victims who trusted him completely, until the 2008 crisis revealed the void beneath.

Key Moments

• NASDAQ Chairmanship: The Manipulator establishing credibility—using legitimate achievement to build the reputation that enabled massive fraud.
• Decades of Returns: The Seducer's perfect performance—Charm and exclusivity making investors feel privileged to give him their money.
• Confession to Sons: The Tyrant's collapse—revealing to his own family that everything was a lie, the moment when Power built on deception finally crumbled.

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The last of the old-school bank CEOs who navigated JP Morgan through crises that destroyed competitors. Dimon embodies the Chief's Confidence earned through consistent execution, with enough Humility to avoid the hubris that toppled peers. His King energy wields Power over America's largest bank while accepting Responsibility for institution-building beyond quarterly results.

Key Moments

• Financial Crisis Navigation: The Warrior's Strength under fire—JP Morgan emerged stronger while others collapsed, Confidence validated by crisis performance.
• Annual Shareholder Letter: The Elder's voice—speaking directly about America's challenges, Sovereignty exercised beyond just banking into civic responsibility.
• Bear Stearns Acquisition: The King's Power deployed strategically—rescuing a competitor at government request while extracting favorable terms, Strength serving stability.

Archetypes

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Character Arc

The hedge fund pioneer who systematized decision-making into principles he shares openly. Dalio embodies the Alchemist—achieving Mastery in markets while maintaining the Beginner's Mind to constantly update beliefs. His Guide nature produced Principles, sharing Worldliness accumulated over decades. The Magician's Knowledge includes deep Reverence for understanding how reality actually works.

Key Moments

• Bridgewater Building: The Alchemist's laboratory—creating the world's largest hedge fund through systematic Mastery of economic machines.
• Radical Transparency: The Guide's method—demanding that everyone challenge ideas regardless of rank, Beginner's Mind institutionalized.
• Principles Publication: The Elder's gift—sharing lifetime Knowledge freely, trusting that Worldliness helps others more than hoarding wisdom helps oneself.

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Character Arc

The Oracle of Omaha who built unparalleled wealth through patient wisdom and transparent principles. Buffett embodies the Elder's integration of Sovereignty and Responsibility—wielding enormous Power while maintaining the Vulnerability of admitting mistakes publicly. His Magician's Knowledge of value investing is matched by Reverence for the limits of prediction, while his Provider nature commits to giving away 99% of his fortune.

Key Moments

• Berkshire Building: The Magician's compound wisdom—Knowledge applied consistently over decades, proving that Reverence for fundamentals beats chasing excitement.
• Annual Letters: The Elder's teaching—Sovereignty expressed through radical transparency, admitting errors while sharing wisdom freely with anyone who reads.
• Giving Pledge: The Provider's ultimate commitment—Generosity scaled to billions, Responsibility accepted for how wealth can serve beyond one lifetime.

Archetypes

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Character Arc

The Uber founder whose relentless disruption built a transportation giant at enormous cultural cost. Kalanick embodies the shadow Warrior—the Challenger whose Confrontation knew no boundaries, the Hustler whose Confidence became arrogance. His Explorer's Wanderlust saw opportunities everywhere, but the Bully emerged in a toxic workplace culture that ultimately forced his removal.

Key Moments

• Uber Founding: The Explorer seeing what others missed—Wanderlust applied to the overlooked taxi industry, recognizing smartphones would enable transformation.
• Regulatory Battles: The Challenger at full force—Confrontation with every city and taxi commission, treating laws as obstacles rather than boundaries.
• Forced Resignation: The Bully's reckoning—toxic culture, driver confrontation video, and investor revolt showing that Strength without Compassion eventually destroys.

Archetypes

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Character Arc

The pharma bro who became the face of pharmaceutical greed by raising drug prices 5,000% while smirking about it. Shkreli embodies the shadow Trickster—Mischief without Dignity, delighting in provocation that hurt vulnerable people. His Hustler nature saw opportunity in regulatory capture, while the Jerk seemed to enjoy public hatred as a form of attention.

Key Moments

• Daraprim Price Hike: The Jerk's defining moment—raising a lifesaving drug's price astronomically, then defending it with smug indifference to suffering.
• Congressional Hearing: The Trickster's performance—smirking and pleading the Fifth, treating serious investigation as entertainment.
• Wu-Tang Album: The Mischief maker—buying a one-of-a-kind album just to hoard it, trolling as lifestyle, Confidence in his own cleverness above all.

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The auto industry titan who saved Nissan before his spectacular escape from Japanese prosecution in a musical equipment box. Ghosn embodies the Visionary who delivered genuine Progress, the King who wielded Power across continents. But his story became the Trickster's ultimate tale—whether guilty or framed, his escape showed Mischief and audacity that made him a folk hero to some.

Key Moments

• Nissan Turnaround: The Visionary's triumph—taking a moribund Japanese icon and restoring it to profitability through relentless Progress and cross-cultural leadership.
• Alliance Building: The King's Power spanning three continents—creating and managing the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, the Explorer bridging cultures others couldn't.
• The Escape: The Trickster's masterpiece—fleeing Japan in an equipment case, Mischief at geopolitical scale, whether justice-seeking or justice-fleeing depending on whom you believe.