Jul 27, 2026 · 24 min · 10 segments
John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Jay Gould, and JP Morgan are some of the hardest workers in history. They are the founders and leaders of the second industrial revolution. In this…
Nic MunozHost
And the reason for this is because they take principles from war and apply them in business.
Rockefeller is one of the best examples for this because he deeply studied Napoleon and even said about him, "I have thought that if he applied himself to commerce and industry, he would have been the greatest businessman the world has ever known." For Andrew Carnegie, it was the exact same reason for studying William Wallace.
Everything heroic centered in him." I will say this again because it is so important, and it applies to almost all of the great industrialists.
They studied war principles because they took the principles and applied them in business.
In the book, The Tycoons, it even says this: "Carnegie, Gould, and Morgan would have risen to the top in any age as military leaders, perhaps, or as chancellors to the kings.
But in post-Civil War America, business had acquired the sense of excitement and purpose that men had once associated with great feats of statecraft or conquest." This is one of the most brilliant lines in the book because it is so true.
The same personality that lies in the tycoons is the exact same personality that lies in someone like Julius Caesar or Napoleon Bonaparte or Alexander the Great.
And the most important lesson that they take from war is that speed is the essence of business.
Whether it was Jay Gould acquiring a company to build railways, or Vanderbilt moving cargo along the Hudson River, or Carnegie mass-producing steel with his new and innovative Bessemer process.
All of them invested in new technology because they knew how important it was to move fast.
Now, I know moving fast is like a sound bite that always sounds good, but it's not quite applicable.
And I think the best description comes from a Rockefeller biography, where the author is describing how Rockefeller moves in the market, and he relates it to him playing chess.
With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that there was something extraordinary about the way this stolid boy pinpointed goals and doggedly pursued them without any trace of childish impulsiveness.
When playing checkers or chess, he showed exceptional caution, studying each move at length, working out every possible countermove in his head.
"I'll move just as soon as I get it figured out," he told opponents who tried to rush him.
"You don't think I'm playing to get beaten, do you?" To ensure that he won, he submitted to games only where he could dictate the rules.
Despite his slow, ponderous style, once he had thoroughly mulled over his plan of action, he had the power of quick decision.
Once he had mulled over his plan of action, he had the ability to make quick decisions.
And the reason for this is because they take principles from war and apply them in business.
Rockefeller is one of the best examples for this because he deeply studied Napoleon and even said about him, "I have thought that if he applied himself to commerce and industry, he would have been the greatest businessman the world has ever known." For Andrew Carnegie, it was the exact same reason for studying William Wallace.
Everything heroic centered in him." I will say this again because it is so important, and it applies to almost all of the great industrialists.
They studied war principles because they took the principles and applied them in business.
In the book, The Tycoons, it even says this: "Carnegie, Gould, and Morgan would have risen to the top in any age as military leaders, perhaps, or as chancellors to the kings.
But in post-Civil War America, business had acquired the sense of excitement and purpose that men had once associated with great feats of statecraft or conquest." This is one of the most brilliant lines in the book because it is so true.
The same personality that lies in the tycoons is the exact same personality that lies in someone like Julius Caesar or Napoleon Bonaparte or Alexander the Great.
And the most important lesson that they take from war is that speed is the essence of business.
Whether it was Jay Gould acquiring a company to build railways, or Vanderbilt moving cargo along the Hudson River, or Carnegie mass-producing steel with his new and innovative Bessemer process.
All of them invested in new technology because they knew how important it was to move fast.
Now, I know moving fast is like a sound bite that always sounds good, but it's not quite applicable.
And I think the best description comes from a Rockefeller biography, where the author is describing how Rockefeller moves in the market, and he relates it to him playing chess.
With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that there was something extraordinary about the way this stolid boy pinpointed goals and doggedly pursued them without any trace of childish impulsiveness.
When playing checkers or chess, he showed exceptional caution, studying each move at length, working out every possible countermove in his head.
"I'll move just as soon as I get it figured out," he told opponents who tried to rush him.
"You don't think I'm playing to get beaten, do you?" To ensure that he won, he submitted to games only where he could dictate the rules.
Despite his slow, ponderous style, once he had thoroughly mulled over his plan of action, he had the power of quick decision.
Once he had mulled over his plan of action, he had the ability to make quick decisions.
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