Eddie Lampert

Eddie Lampert built ESL Investments into one of Wall Street's most closely watched hedge funds, and in 2004 became the first manager to earn over a billion dollars in a single year running it. He took over Sears Holdings as CEO in 2013, restructuring the retailer into dozens of competing internal units in an approach critics traced to Ayn Rand's philosophy; the company lost roughly half its value and most of its stores under his leadership before filing for bankruptcy in 2018. Sears creditors later accused him in court of orchestrating a scheme to strip the company's assets for his own benefit, allegations he has disputed.