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How McKinsey Became One Of The Most Powerful Companies: summary

How McKinsey Became One Of The Most Powerful Companies

CNBC · Jun 6, 2019 · about 16 min

Uploaded Jun 6, 2019 · 2.2M views (as of Oct 30, 2026)

Good value given

McKinsey is often called the most influential private institution.
Clients hire it for problems they can't solve themselves.
Alumni run some of the world's largest companies.
It's been linked to major scandals.
Its own leaders say secrecy has to change.

How did McKinsey become so powerful?

McKinsey is brought in when organizations can't solve problems internally. Its alumni run major companies and hold political roles, which spreads its influence. It has also been tied to corporate scandals, and its leaders admit the old mystique of secrecy no longer works.

Worth watching?Good value given. A tight CNBC explainer on McKinsey's influence, its alumni network and its scandals. Balanced and quick.

ActionableLessons

Actionable

Think about which networks shape your industry.
Read about McKinsey's recent controversies.
Notice how reputation draws talent.

Lessons

Networks multiply influence.
Mystique can become a liability.
Trust takes long to rebuild.

Quick answer

CNBC posted this video on Jun 6, 2019. Here's our summary in our own words: the answer to the title, a verdict, 5 takeaways, and Actionable and Lessons tabs.

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Watch on YouTube: How McKinsey Became One Of The Most Powerful Companies

Channel: CNBC. Published Jun 6, 2019. About 16 minutes.

The alumni network, as much as the advice, is the real source of McKinsey's power.

Quotes from the video

“Mystique is not a good thing anymore.”
“McKinsey takes the cake.”

A note on this summary

This page reports what the video says, in our own words. Quotes are copied word for word from the video's transcript. Views are as of Oct 30, 2026.

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FAQ: questions people ask

Why do companies hire McKinsey?

For problems they can't solve internally.

Is McKinsey public?

No, it's private.

Is it worth watching?

Good value given.