GREED IS GOOD. OR IS IT?

Michael Douglas said it a long, long time ago.

“Greed is good.”

Greed works.

Greed clarifies.

Greed built America.

Of course…

That was Wall Street.

Gordon Gekko.

A fictional character.

But almost forty years later, I find myself asking a very simple question.

Was he right?

Is greed actually bad?

Or have we confused greed with ambition?

This summer, I’m in the middle of negotiating what could be a mega deal.

We’ve met three times.

Everything goes swimmingly well.

Smiles.

Handshakes.

Big ideas.

You leave every meeting thinking…

We’re there.

Then an email arrives.

And you read it.

Then you read it again.

Then, just to make sure you haven’t suddenly lost the ability to understand English…

You read it a third time.

Bamboozled.

And one word enters your head.

Greed.

I was fortunate enough to learn the art of negotiation back in my recruitment days.

One of the best books I ever read was called Everything Is Negotiable.

And anyone who’s been in business long enough understands one simple rule.

Big deal.

Mega deal.

Small deal.

It doesn’t matter.

Both sides have to win.

Because if one person leaves the meeting room thinking…

“I lost.”

The deal might get signed.

The champagne might get opened.

The LinkedIn post might get written.

But trust me…

It will never work long term.

Because somewhere in the back of that person’s mind is one very simple thought.

“I got fucked.”

And that feeling doesn’t disappear.

It sits there.

Quietly.

Waiting for the first disagreement.

Which brings me back to my email.

How on earth, in 2026, do people still believe the best way to negotiate a deal is to take all the honey?

The jar.

The bees.

And probably charge you rent for the hive.

Now, without wandering into the dangerous world of cultural stereotypes…

“Arabs negotiate like this.”

“Indians negotiate like that.”

“The English do this.”

Nonsense.

I don’t care what culture you’re from.

It’s a stupid strategy.

Because one of two things is happening.

Either you think the other party is stupid…

Or you’re plainly stupid.

How can you enter a multimillion-dirham negotiation and effectively write an email saying…

“I’ll take everything.”

“You’ll be stupid enough to sign it.”

“And I’ll keep taking everything.”

Then sit back and expect normal, intelligent, hardened, experienced business people to reply…

“Oh, fucking great. Thank you.”

That’s not negotiation.

That’s greed dressed in a suit.

Of course, you maintain professionalism.

You write a polite email.

“Thank you for your proposal. Unfortunately, we can’t agree to these terms.”

Which, translated into normal English, means…

“No, thank you. I’d rather not get fucked.”

Then you close the laptop.

Walk away.

And think about Gordon Gekko.

Greed is good.

No.

It’s not.

Let’s be clear.

Everyone in business wants to make money.

I do.

You do.

That’s why we’re in business.

Profit is the fat of every successful business.

Without it, the business dies.

But if you’re entering a joint venture…

A partnership…

A relationship that’s supposed to last for years…

And your strategy is to take all the fat and leave your partner the bones…

Don’t enter a joint venture, my friend.

Eat alone.

Because eventually…

Even the dog stops coming back for bones.