21 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
French executive who led Moët Hennessy and orchestrated its merger with Louis Vuitton to form LVMH in 1987 — the power struggle between Chevalier and Racamier over control of the merged entity created the opening that Arnault exploited.
American executive who defected from Coca-Cola to become Pepsi's CEO from 1950 to 1959, transforming the company's image through aggressive advertising and his marriage to Joan Crawford, who became a brand ambassador.
Swiss businessman and CEO of Rolex (1962–1992) who shifted the brand's positioning from precision tool watches to pure luxury status symbols — expanding the Datejust and Day-Date as pure jewelry items — and is credited with making Rolex the world's most recognized luxury brand.
American technology executive who founded Amazon Web Services and served as its CEO from 2003 to 2021 before succeeding Jeff Bezos as CEO of Amazon.
Sixth-generation Hermès family member and current CEO since 2013, who led the defense against Bernard Arnault's LVMH hostile takeover attempt and has overseen Hermès's extraordinary share price appreciation.
American aerospace engineer and Kelly Johnson's successor as director of Lockheed's Skunk Works, who led the development of the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter — the first operational stealth aircraft — and wrote the definitive Skunk Works memoir.
American technology executive and Chief Product Officer of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's longest-serving product partner who has led product strategy across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
American aerospace executive who served as CEO of Lockheed Corporation and then first CEO of Lockheed Martin following the merger with Martin Marietta — navigating the most dramatic consolidation in aerospace industry history.
Austrian-German automotive engineer and grandson of Ferdinand Porsche who engineered the Porsche 917 racing car before becoming CEO of Audi and then Chairman of Volkswagen Group — turning VW into a multi-brand automotive empire.
American media executive and CEO of Liberty Media who orchestrated the $8 billion acquisition of Formula 1 from CVC Capital in 2016 and modernized the sport's digital and American market strategy.
American aerospace executive and President and COO of SpaceX, who joined as the 11th employee and built the company's commercial launch business — securing contracts with NASA, commercial satellite operators, and international customers that funded SpaceX through its early failures.
Japanese businessman who served as president of Nintendo from 1949 to 2002, transforming it from a playing card company into the dominant global video game platform through ruthless third-party licensing control, the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy.
American business executive who served as CEO of eBay from 1998 to 2008, growing it from 30 employees to 15,000, and later as CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
American-German businessman who served as CEO of Porsche AG (1981–1987), credited with saving the 911 model from planned discontinuation by drawing a line on a product planning whiteboard to extend the 911's life indefinitely.
American technology executive and CEO of ARM Holdings since 2022, who oversees the chip IP licensing company whose architecture runs in virtually every smartphone in the world.
American businessman who served as president of Coca-Cola from 1923 to 1954 and remained its dominant figure for decades, transforming it from a regional American drink to the world's most recognized global brand.
Cuban-American businessman who served as CEO of Coca-Cola from 1981 to his death in 1997, overseeing both the disastrous New Coke launch and the company's most extraordinary period of shareholder value creation.
American businessman and CEO of Microsoft (2000–2014) who built Microsoft's enterprise sales force, navigated the antitrust trial, and now owns the Los Angeles Clippers after paying a then-record $2B.
American businessman who served as president of Pepsi-Cola from 1938 to 1951, transforming it from near-bankruptcy into a credible Coca-Cola competitor through aggressive marketing and the breakthrough 12-ounce bottle campaign.
German executive and CEO of Porsche AG (1992–2009) who rescued the company from near-bankruptcy using Toyota Production System manufacturing efficiency and launched the Cayenne SUV — then engineered a complex attempt to acquire Volkswagen that backfired.
American sports marketing executive and CEO of McLaren Racing, who transformed McLaren's commercial operations by treating the F1 team as a media and entertainment company rather than purely a racing operation.