Top 10 Outrageous Statements By Business Leaders

With a net worth of $11 billion USD in 2015, the chairman of the privately owned mineral and exploration company Hancock Prospecting is one of the richest people in the world. But wealth doesn’t always equal generosity – at least not when you consider what Gina Rinehart declared over YouTube with respect to her views on how expensive it is to employ Australians: “Furthermore, Africans want to work, and its workers are willing to work for less than $2 per day.” Her controversial 2012 comments for the Sydney Mining Club unsurprisingly drew backlash. Most notably, then-Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard dismissed the statements, while then-Deputy PM and Treasurer Wayne Swan called them insulting to their fellow Australian workers.

When the Xbox One was initially released in 2013, the President of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment seemed pretty sure of himself and its “always-on” feature, which was complemented by a controversial digital rights management system. But gamers didn’t quite buy this concept. They also didn’t appreciate Don Mattrick’s dismissive attitude towards those without 24/7 Internet access. And so, it didn’t really come as a surprise that he left the company shortly after stating “We have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity; it’s called the Xbox 360.”

In the late ‘90s, the President of Philip Morris USA offered up a unique correlation between candy and cigarettes when he was questioned about the hazards of tobacco and second-hand smoke. Basically, he equated smoking with going to the movies and tearing through an entire bag of Gummy Bears. That’s right, James J. Morgan curiously noted the following similarities between inhaling actual smoke into your lungs from cigarettes and consuming the sweet stuff: “If they are behaviorally addictive or habit-forming, they are much more like caffeine, or in my case, Gummy Bears.” Call us crazy, but somehow cigarettes seem to be a bit more problematic for the human body…?

When you become a monster business magnate, a certain sense of invincibility can take over, and may lead you to blindly spew verbal diarrhea. For example, take Gerald Ratner, the former chief executive of a jewelry company called Ratners Group. Ratner took a brutally honest approach to his business by slamming his own products in a public speech. Exactly how honest was he? His words were: “People say: ‘How can you sell this for such a low price?, I say, ‘because it’s total crap’.” This, and further remarks along similar lines, led customers to shop elsewhere, Ratner’s company to tank, and forced the company’s new leader to dismiss Ratner in 1992.

If Donald Trump wasn’t already on your “what the hell?!” radar prior to 2015 for his business ventures, marriages and/or his time as a television personality, then he definitely made himself known to you in June of that year with his presidential campaign kickoff speech. When discussing illegal immigration, Trump declared, “When Mexico sends its people… they’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” Sure, he ended it with “And some, I assume, are good people.” But the damage had already been done. Aside from the public outrage, the controversial and politically incorrect statements led several companies to terminate their deals with Trump, including NBC and Univision, which were behind “The Apprentice” and the Miss Universe Organization.

In case you were curious, the Italian fashion designer named Domenico Dolce is not a fan of in vitro fertilization, so much so that in 2015, he went on record with regard to his beliefs about surrogate mothers. The statement didn’t especially please Sir Elton John (who has children byIVF) or boost the sales of Dolce and Gabbana. The now-infamous entrepreneur and one half of the luxury fashion house stated in a 2015 magazine interview: “You are born from a father and a mother. Or at least that is how it should be. For this reason, I am not convinced bywhat I call children of chemistry, or synthetic children. Uteruses for rent, sperm chosen from a catalogue.” Such a strong statement for such a seemingly sweet guy.

You know how a puppy tilts its little head when trying to understand human words? Well, imagine the collective confusion when Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris demonstrated his complete lack of business savvy when he tried to explain how legal and illegal file sharing disrupted the music industry. Rather than acknowledging the power of technology, he just admitted that record people didn’t understand such things and posed a rather strange question: “It’s like if you were suddenly asked to operate on your dog to remove his kidney. What would you do?” Good point, Doug. Solid argument.

The url to his own personal website is whoismcafee.com, and to be honest, we’re not quite sure. Let’s say this: the words that come out of this computer programmer’s mouth don’t often fall in line with typical human logic – with him most notably stating that using his own anti-virus program is “too annoying.” It’s kind of hit-or-miss with John McAfee. For example, his response to being jailed in Guatemala, after he hacked into Belizean government computers to clear his name, was: “This is what happens when you try and address something that changes the status quo of a political system. You better be prepared to be crucified.” Well... yeah.

Do humans have a public right to access water? The substance we’re mostly made of? If you’re Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, the answer, apparently, is “no” and you should take a serious interest in the privatization of water… and proceed to give the world a reality check. The comments made by the chairman of the Nestle Group, which surfaced in the 2005 documentary “We Feed the World”, were as follows: “The one opinion, which I think is extreme, is represented by the NGOs, who bang on about declaring water a public right. That means that as a human being you should have a right to water. That’s an extreme solution.” Good luck with that one.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Alzheimer’s = Divorce
Pat Robertson
“I know it sounds cruel, but if he’s going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her.”

- Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Took His Life Away
Tony Hayward
“There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do, I’d like my life back.”

Today, he’s the overly enthusiastic owner of the L.A. Clippers, a man who seemingly knows how to “connect.” But sometimes, it seems that perhaps Steve Ballmer just shouldn’t talk. For example, how does a Harvard-educated CEO of Microsoft manage to drastically underestimate one of the most important modern innovations, namely the iPhone? In 2007, Ballmer’s arrogance showed when he talked with USA Today and said this: “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.” Equally ridiculous was Alan Sugar’s 2005 assertion that ‘Next Christmas the iPod will be dead, finished, gone, kaput,” but it’s definitely Ballmer’s statement that takes the cake.

Do you agree with our list? What business leader statement do you think is the most outrageous? For more mind-blowing Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.