The Rise and Fall of Carlos Ghosn: Part 1

HBR IdeaCast

When Japan’s most famous CEO is suddenly arrested, conflicts are revealed in the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the French and Japanese auto companies that he led for two decades. Then Carlos Ghosn jumps bail by stowing away in a private jet to Lebanon. His daring escape raises new questions about his alleged financial misconduct and the corporate system that kept him in power. What went right — and wrong — at Nissan? How did Carlos Ghosn go from being one of the world’s most admired CEOs to a fugitive from justice?

This first episode of a four-part special series tells the story of his dramatic turnarounds at Renault and Nissan. Host Curt Nickisch explores Ghosn’s successes, discovering insights on working across cultural divides, winning buy-in on painful changes, and using outsider status to your advantage.

This special series is inspired and informed by the new book Collision Course: Carlos Ghosn and the Culture Wars That Upended an Auto Empire.

This episode was produced by Anne Saini. Contributing reporting from Tokyo by Collision Course coauthors Hans Greimel and William Sposato.

Editing by Scott Berinato, Maureen Hoch, and Adi Ignatius. Sound engineering by Tim Skoog. The team includes Sally Ashworth, Adam Buchholz, Rob Eckhardt, Ramsey Khabbaz, Scott LaPierre, Christine Liu, Melinda Merino, and Karen Player.