The Firm: The Story of McKinsey and Its Secret Influence on American Business
by Duff McDonald
View on GoodreadsDuff McDonald's institutional history of McKinsey & Company — from its founding through its 21st-century controversies (Enron, opioid marketing for Purdue, ICE work, Saudi advising) — as the architect-class behind much of modern American corporate management.
Core ideas
- McKinsey's influence runs through alumni more than through engagements — the firm has placed senior executives across half of Fortune 500 boards and most major government agencies, so its operating model becomes the meta-model regardless of any single client relationship.
- The "up or out" partnership pyramid is the firm's load-bearing economic structure; it produces the alumni network, the absurd hours, the lock-in incentives, and the cultural pattern of compartmentalized client work that lets the firm work for clients with incompatible interests simultaneously.
- The book predates the post-2018 controversies (Purdue settlement, ICE work, autocrat advising) but the patterns it documents predict them; the recent scandals are not deviations from the McKinsey model but its mature operation.
Published2013
Pages400
ISBN9781439190999
ReadDec 2024
