Silence the Dissent, Control the Narrative

“Without any hesitation, he warns the talkative ones after six months of cacophony. "I'm the boss. From Monday morning, I'll be there, and I'll personally run the company. There will be no power vacuum. I will now personally oversee the group's communication."”

“Measured reaction. In reality, Bernard Arnault, as usual, showed opportunism. A few months or years earlier, an initiative of this nature against a major international bank would have caused a scandal and disqualified its author. But the debate is raging in the United States, traumatized by the fall of the stock market, about the role of financial analysts, accused of very rarely going against the global interests of the banks that employ them. Is a takeover possible? Bernard Arnault is the first to attempt it in Europe, at the risk of alienating the community of analysts. This attack also has a signaling value. It indicates to the financial community, but also to journalists-and perhaps to ourselves-that he will not let any criticism, judgment, or negative assessment of his management or strategy, not to mention his person, go unanswered. Beyond that, this intimidation operation shows that Bernard Arnault remains sensitive when it comes to Gucci. And that, as soon as his interests are at stake, he has not lost any of his determination.”