Nissan: Carlos Ghosn, from Turnaround Hero to Fugitive

In 1999 Nissan was near bankruptcy, drowning in debt and losing markets, when Renault took a stake and sent in Carlos Ghosn. He cut costs hard, closed plants, renegotiated contracts, and returned the company to profit within two years, becoming a celebrity featured in Japanese manga. Over the next two decades he ran Renault and Nissan at once and built extraordinary influence and pay. In November 2018 he was arrested at a Tokyo airport on misconduct charges, and in late 2019 he fled Japan, reportedly hidden in an equipment case.

For founders and operators, this case is not a warning against bold turnaround leaders. It sharpens a subtler decision about governance: the same concentrated authority that lets someone rescue a company is what removes the checks that would catch trouble later. It pushes you to find where in your own organization results have quietly put someone above oversight. The precise governance lesson, and how heroism and accountability can coexist, is what the app reserves for you to work out.