Special Report
50 Least Powerful People in the World
August 26, 2016 6:16 pm
Last Updated: January 13, 2020 4:13 am
26. Renaud Laplanche
Title: Executive
Peer-to-peer lenders have emerged as a popular alternative to traditional bank loans for businesses and investors. The largest of these is LendingClub, which has funded more than $20 billion in loans to date. CEO Renaud Laplanche was suddenly fired in May after it was revealed that he had failed to disclose his own personal investment in a private fund in which the company was also considering purchasing a stake. Shortly after the announcement, LendingClub revealed that it had been subpoenaed by the U.S. Justice Department, ostensibly for other failed accounting practices that had occurred on Laplanche’s watch.
27. Ryan Lochte
Title: Athlete
The U.S. olympic swimming team was poised to leave Rio in triumph, winning 16 golds and 33 medals overall. Unfortunately, this has been largely overshadowed by news that four athletes, including Ryan Lochte, one of the country’s best swimmers, had lied about being robbed at gunpoint. When police investigated the robbery, their findings differed from Lochte’s account. Eventually, it became clear that Lochte and the others, who had been drunk that night, had lied about the events. Lochte had actually vandalized a sign outside a gas station. After initially sticking to his story, Lochte went on national television and admitted the truth. Perhaps most telling of Lochte’s fall from grace is the loss all four of his sponsorship contracts.
28. Paul Manafort
Title: Campaign director
Paul Manafort served as the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign chairman until he was forced to resign in August — just three months before the election. Prior to managing the Trump campaign, Manafort worked for over a decade as lobbyist for Russian-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. The New York Times recently reported that Yanukovych’s party paid Manafort more than $12.7 million in cash. The apparent conflict of interest was too much for the Trump campaign to absorb. Amidst already sliding poll numbers, Manafort stepped down.
29. Johnny Manziel
Title: Athlete
Success in the National Football League, the biggest sports stage in America, is a guarantee for no one. However, Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel seemed as close to a sure bet as any player. Picked by the Cleveland Browns in the first round, Manziel was presumed by many to be tagged as the franchise’s quarterback of the future. Manziel’s short career was plagued with behavioral issues, substance abuse, and unmet expectations. He finished his career with as many fumbles and interceptions as touchdowns. Less than two years after he was drafted, the Browns cut the man known as Johnny Football — and many speculate he is done in the NFL for good.
30. Garry McCarthy
Title: Police superintendent
Garry McCarthy had a long and distinguished career in public service before he was fired by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel from his position as Superintendent of Chicago Police. McCarthy headed Compstat, a statistical system for tracking crime in New York, served at ground zero after 9/11, and was eventually appointed by Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker to head up his city’s police force. Crime rates dropped considerably under his watch. However, when he was appointed top cop in Chicago, becoming the highest paid public official in the city, McCarthy’s career took a turn to the worst. An investigative report alleged that better crime numbers under McCarthy’s watch only reflected statistical tricks and not actual drops in crime. In 2015, following the release of a video depicting a white Chicago police officer shooting a black suspect more than a dozen times, Emanuel fired McCarthy.
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