On the day you’re reading this, I will be standing at the Acropolis, looking down over the ancient Agora where Athenians once gathered to debate and decide the future of their city. This isn’t just a travel milestone—it’s a deliberate moment to connect my PhD research, focused on executives’ perceptions of barriers to Congress and underpinned by political theory on the performance of democracy, to the very place where the democratic experiment began.
By coincidence, I’ve also been watching HBO’s The Gilded Age on Max, set in the late 1800s—a time when America had come remarkably far in its first century of independence, yet still had so far to go. Like Athens in its height or Rome in its prime, the Gilded Age was dazzling in its progress and wealth, but shadowed by deep inequality, labor unrest, and political strain. It was America’s midpoint between the Revolution and today, and a reminder that prosperity and tension often travel together.
We’ve weathered seismic disruptions before: the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Louisiana Purchase, the forced displacement of Native Americans, and the Gilded Age of the late 1800s—when industrial might, cultural flourishing, and unprecedented wealth were paired with inequality, unrest, and fierce political battles. Other civilizations have had their own gilded eras—periods where prosperity and strain coexisted.
I believe we may be in such a moment again. Artificial intelligence and unmanned systems—in the air, on the surface, and beneath the sea—are advancing at a pace that rivals the internet boom or even the railroads of the 19th century. Unlike the dot-com era, many of today’s companies are generating earnings almost immediately, making them very different animals in the eyes of investors. That speed accelerates the point where business intersects with government—through procurement, regulation, and strategic competition—and forces democracy to adapt in real time.
You can see this adaptation in the language of legislation itself. In the early 2000s, “centers of excellence” dominated strategic funding. By the mid-2010s, “universal” and “digitization” were everywhere, especially in the National Defense Authorization Act. Since 2020, “machine learning” and “artificial intelligence” have been appearing at a pace not seen before—an early signal that Congress is integrating emerging technologies into the nation’s priorities.
But here’s the challenge—you rarely know you’re in a gilded age while you’re living through it. If you’re at the leading edge of a transformation, you might sense the acceleration. If you’re a fast follower, you may simply know you want to be part of it. If you wait until the winners are clear, the biggest opportunities may already have passed. The answers are never fully visible in advance. Acting with purpose and intention—before all the variables are settled—is the first step toward progress. From Pericles to industrial titans to modern tech CEOs, ego has propelled leaders to great heights—and just as often been the force that toppled them. Democracy’s strength lies in its ability to absorb those swings without losing its core.
From the Agora to the Capitol to the AI lab, democracy’s role has always been to balance progress with fairness, innovation with accountability. Standing in Athens today, I’m reminded that in the long arc of history, we are all temporary stewards. The real question is: What will we pass on?
3 Business Lessons from a Gilded Moment
1. Act Before the Verdict – In gilded moments, the winners aren’t clear until later. Leaders who move with intention amid uncertainty position themselves to shape outcomes.
2. Build Beyond Yourself – Institutions and strategies that endure outlast the personalities driving them.
3. Engage the Rulemakers – Innovation always meets governance; those who help shape the rules rarely get blindsided by them.
What Am I Reading?
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, by Sarah Wynn-Williams. With whistleblower protection in place, the author, a member of the Facebook policy team just outside the top 5 leadership inner circle, describes in great detail Facebook’s coming of age dealing with privacy rights and global influence. This is a rather dark story of personal shortcomings, ignorance and ambition at the top of Facebook. Covering the years of 2011-2018, the leadership team was surprised to learn how digital campaigning took hold by users of Facebook. The recognition and pursuit of election influence around the world was well and widely known within Facebook for years. It’s a disturbing survey of how much is known about our digital behaviors and how we are all subject to the influence of highly targeted information that goes far beyond what brand of toothpaste might appeal to us.
