A Lack of Integrity Will Kill You

October 30, 2025

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“I look for three things in hiring people. The first is personal integrity, the second is intelligence, and the third is a high energy level. But if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.” -Warren Buffet

Every fall, Forbes comes out with a prestigious list of the next generation of movers and shakers, the Forbes 30 under 30. But it’s not a list recognizing greatness. It’s Forbes calling their shot on who will be the next generation’s most influential entrepreneurs, artists, entertainers etc. A spot on the list is a huge deal.

It also may be a prison sentence.

Elizabeth Holmes the founder of Theranos, a biotech company that claimed to revolutionize blood testing, was ousted as a fraud in 2015. The debacle cost investors $700 million dollars, patients were given false diagnoses, and Holmes got an 11 year prison sentence.

Sam Bankman-Fried was leading the crypto revolution from his company FTX until he was discovered to be misappropriating funds and customers lost $8,000,000,000 (yes that many 0’s). He’s currently serving a 25 year sentence.

Martin Shkreli was a hedge fund manager that served jail time for misappropriating funds while also being sued in civil court for jacking up the prices of essential pharmaceutical drugs.

To be brilliant is a gift, to have high energy can make up for a multitude of flaws, but it’s better to be without both if you don’t have integrity.

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