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- Dominic Cummings: A Biography
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- * The Enlightenment Wasn’t Enlightened (6-23-26)
* Mr. Burge Draws The Line (6-23-26)
* 'Improving on Democracy' (6-17-26)
* People Leak To People Who Are Fun (6-11-26)
* Why Does Australia Produce So Many Great Journalists? (6-11-26)
* Steve Wynn and the Press: Power, Litigation, and the Contest Over Las Vegas (6-3-26)
* Sheldon Adelson and the Journalists (6-3-26)
* The Vigilant Animal: Thinkers Who Reject the Myth of Human Gullibility (6-2-26)
* The Cost of Refusing the Misunderstanding Myth (6-2-26)
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* The Norm Explainers (6-2-26)
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* What would it look like if the Washington Post put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Financial Times put its reader first? (6-1-26)
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* What It Would Mean for The New York Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
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* The Emotional Palettes Of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco & Sacramento (5-27-26)
* The Administrative Capital: Sacramento Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* San Diego - The Quiet Republic (5-27-26)
* The Quiet Bar: San Diego Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* SF v LA Legal Culture (5-27-26)
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* Social Cliques in New York, 2026 (5-25-26)
* Social Cliques in San Francisco, 2026 (5-25-26)
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Category Archives: Banks
The Jamie Dimon Voice
Jamie Dimon (b. 1956) talks like a guy from Queens who runs a bank, because that is what he is. The voice carries a flat New York rasp, fast and a little gravelly, the consonants clipped. He does not slow … Continue reading
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Ten Convenient Beliefs For The Leaders Of Wells Fargo
Stephen P. Turner (b. 1951) describes convenient beliefs as the beliefs a man holds because holding them serves his interests, not because he has tested them against the world. The man does not feel the convenience. The belief arrives as … Continue reading
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Ten Convenient Beliefs For Bankers In America Today
Financial innovation creates value for the broader economy rather than primarily redistributing existing wealth toward those sophisticated enough to extract it while creating systemic risks that are eventually socialized through bailouts and monetary policy. Convenient because it justifies the complexity … Continue reading
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The Repair Architect: Alliance Theory and the Battle for Bank of America Authority
Bank of America is a post-trauma system. That is the organizing fact from which everything else follows. JPMorgan Chase built a fortress and proved it could withstand pressure. Bank of America built a redemption narrative and must prove continuously that … Continue reading
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The Jurisdictional Wars: Alliance Theory and the Battle for JP Morgan Chase Authority
Executives, division heads, and career bankers at JPMorgan Chase do not compete for authority by saying they want power. They compete by invoking languages of First-Class Business in a First-Class Way, fortress-balance-sheet discipline, client-first stewardship, or responsibility for sustaining a … Continue reading
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The Jurisdictional Wars: Alliance Theory and the Battle for HSBC Authority
Executives, division heads, and career bankers at HSBC bank (Europe’s largest bank that began in Hong Kong) do not compete for authority by saying they want power. They compete by invoking languages of the world’s local bank, connecting customers to … Continue reading
The Jurisdictional Wars: Alliance Theory and the Battle for Authority at Wells Fargo
Executives, division heads, and career bankers at Wells Fargo do not compete for authority by saying they want power. They compete by invoking languages of what is right for the customer, Vision and Values, conservative risk management, community stewardship, or … Continue reading
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The Jurisdictional Wars: Alliance Theory and the Battle for Authority at Citi
Executives, division heads, and career bankers at Citigroup do not compete for authority by saying they want power. They compete by invoking languages of Responsible Finance, global client stewardship, prudent simplification, or responsibility for sustaining a systemically important institution inside … Continue reading
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The Jurisdictional Wars: Alliance Theory and the Battle for Authority at Bank of America
Executives, division heads, and career bankers at Bank of America do not compete for authority by saying they want power. They compete by invoking languages of Responsible Growth, consumer-first stewardship, regulatory prudence, or responsibility for sustaining a systemically important institution … Continue reading
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Decoding Lazard’s Geopolitical Advisory
Lazard’s Geopolitical Advisory makes sense only if you understand the old merchant bank tradition. Lazard historically operated less like a commercial bank and more like a discreet diplomatic intermediary for capital. For decades the firm advised governments on privatizations, restructurings, … Continue reading
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