The Establishment Revisited
Just a gang of Ivy League, Wall Street Rebels
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the American Establishments.
Coincidentally, TIME magazine has just produced a damning indictment of American society handy guide to the best companies and colleges for future leaders. This was produced by looking at the CVs of successful people.
If you want to understand the nature of The Establishments in America then this is a good place to start. Without wishing to belabour the point, the claim that Donald Trump (Wharton / Penn Uni - #3), JD Vance (Yale - #6), and Elon Musk (Stanford #2 and Wharton #3) are “Anti-Establishment” is unserious.
There is nothing here that is surprising. The top colleges are the usual suspects. The top companies are consulting and professional services firms, banks, and some very traditional corporates (GE, IBM, P&G). McKinsey’s famous “up or out” operating model means that its cast-offs now run a lot of America. There are some things that surprised me - BCG and Bain are way down the list.
Given the current power of the tech giants, another surprise is the first post-2000 tech company is Alphabet at 26. Mostly this is due to the time it takes to ascend the corporate ladder and the lifespan of companies. McKinsey was founded 1926. The companies that would become GE and IBM go back into the 19th century.
So come back in 20 years and Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta will likely be nearer the top of the list. Also of interest are notable stock market darlings Nvidia and Tesla who are nowhere to be seen. Apple is way down (but that aligns with its notoriously insular cult-ure).
The message here is clear. If you want money and power then your parents will need to fork out for an education at one of the elite finishing schools universities. Then you will need to apprentice at one of the great corporations.
Meritocracy is a wonderful thing.
