The Democrat governor of New York has a plan for a “Trump-proof” reopening of the Big Apple.  Andrew Cuomo has apparently hired “high-powered consultants” who will scientifically analyse the “key data points” to work out how to free up the region’s economy. And who are these brilliant consultants? McKinsey & Company, of course – a firm indirectly responsible for many of the problems America is now facing.

The reason New York has been desperately short of personal protective equipment, and other crucial medical equipment, is that every business has adopted a “just in time” inventory model that can’t handle system-wide surges in demand. The offshoring of manufacturing to Asia has also left the US without the domestic capacity to ramp up supplies of crucial items.

McKinsey was a leading advocate of both these trends. Indeed, you could call them “the super-spreader of an intellectual virus that has infected American business”. They also had a hand in the 2008 credit crunch, having actively promoted the securitisation of mortgage assets. And, according to one lawsuit, they helped “turbocharge” sales of the widely abused opioid drug OxyContin. Should we not, perhaps, be thinking about how to “McKinsey-proof” America? (Chris Buskirk, 5 May 2020)

My take: Andrew Cuomo is a good guy, very intelligent and decisive.  But everyone makes mistakes, and this is a mistake.  If anyone can point to anything McKinsey has done which is to the general benefit of the country, not just good for the rich and the big corporations (who can afford their humongous fees), please write in and inform me.