One former McKinsey consultant wrote anonymously, “To those convinced that a secretive cabal controls the world, the usual suspects are Illuminati, Lizard People, or ‘globalists.’ They are wrong, naturally. There is no secret society shaping every major decision and determining the direction of human history. There is, however, McKinsey & Company.” The consultant used humor to make a point, a serious point: McKinsey has an unseen presence at the table inside the world’s most consequential companies and governments.

