McKinsey today is not just a company with almost a hundred years of history, but one of the symbols of constant and stable success. It was its consultants who helped create and spread throughout the world what we now call American capitalism. What is the reason for such a deep and widespread influence of the company on the corporate world of America? Why, despite the wide popularity of its internal “kitchen”, do we know negligible little? Who are they, these gray cardinals, who invented consulting and managed to elevate it to the rank of politics, a tool for managing companies and states? What are the fruits and methods of their unprecedented impact on the economy of entire industries? And finally, how has this Firm managed to maintain and increase its authority for almost a century, despite a number of impressive failures?