They called him the “Godfather.”
Before he was FBI director, Jim Comey was general counsel of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund. There he would practice and perfect the knack for drama that later thrust him into the center of the national political scene.
Comey was far from a household name when he joined Bridgewater in 2010. He was best known for his stint as US attorney for the Southern District of New York, and he made no secret to friends of his financial motive for jumping to Bridgewater, which would pay him $7 million per year.
Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio, famed for devising a collection of so-called “Principles,” also made no secret of his hopes for the new hire. Dalio’s Principles, later adapted into a best-selling book and TED Talks, centered on a philosophy of “radical transparency” that involved tearing into the firm’s troublesome corners. They called for videotaped, internal “trials,” and investigations of even the smallest problems at the firm; these were often called “diagnoses” to find the “root cause.” Staff voted in real-time on disagreements. Dalio told staff that Comey would be like a godfather adjudicating it all.
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