The World's First Corporate Psychopath May Have Just Been Identified

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1. 2h ago

   Scientists Identify History's First Corporate Psychopath

   Researchers have identified history's first official corporate psychopath as Jeronimus Cornelisz, a 17th-century merchant manager for the Dutch East India Company. A new study links toxic executive traits to the earliest days of global capitalism four hundred years ago. Cornelisz oversaw the murders of one hundred men, women, and children after a shipwreck, and attempted to build a pirate empire on an isolated island. The findings suggest that predatory personalities have been drawn to multinational corporations since the inception of modern trade.

   Why it matters

   The research connects modern workplace psychology with early corporate structures. It highlights how powerful organizational entities historically harbored individuals motivated by extreme wealth, power, and personal advancement. The Dutch East India Company serves as the primary historical lens for examining these early toxic leadership traits.

   What is confirmed

   • Scientists identified Jeronimus Cornelisz as the world's first corporate psychopath.
   • Cornelisz worked as a merchant manager for the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century.
   • He oversaw the murders of 100 men, women and children after a shipwreck.
   • The study was published in the Asian Journal of Business Ethics.

   What to watch next

   • Further academic debate on whether earlier historical figures match corporate psychopathy criteria
   • Additional studies examining toxic leadership traits in early multinational trade organizations
   Sources used for this update (13)

   1. flipboard.com — Beloved singer’s wife killed after welcoming robbery suspects with lemonade
   2. Yahoo — The World's First Corporate Psychopath May Have Just Been Identified
   3. Popular Science — Psychologist found the first corporate psychopath—a 17th century Dutch mutineer
   4. The Independent — Think your boss is bad? Scientists identify history’s first official ‘corporate psychopath’
   5. IFLScience — New Study Identifies "Corporate Psychopath" In The World's First Multinational Corporation, Way Back In 1621
   6. ZME Science — Scientists May Have Identified the World’s First Corporate Psychopath
   7. VICE — The First Corporate Psychopath Got Shipwrecked on an Island and Tried to Start a Pirate Empire
   8. www.sciencealert.com — Physicists May Have Inadvertently Built a Qubit That Can Run Backward in Time
   9. www.sciencealert.com — The World's First Corporate Psychopath May Have Just Been ...
   10. www.dailymail.com — Meet the world's first 'psycho boss': Scientists say 17th ...
   11. www.independent.co.uk — Think your boss is bad? Scientists identify history’s first ...
   12. www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk — Corporate psychopathy started in 17th century, ARU study finds
   confidence 90%