Do Alpha Male Execs Behave Like Chimps?

Oct. 8, 2002 -- A man who has spent decades writing about wildlife says observing the behavior of some of the nation's richest people is not unlike a trip to the zoo.

While comparing the wealthy to the wild might seem a little harsh, author Richard Conniff says it makes perfect sense. In his book, The Natural History of the Rich, Conniff writes that executives climbing to the top of corporate ladders exhibit mannerisms that are quite similar to those displayed by silverback gorillas.

"It's chest-beating. It's glowering," Conniff told ABCNEWS' Good Morning America. "You know, that kind of quick, sharp stare."

While corporate types may not literally beat their chests in the middle of a meeting, they often perform the verbal equivalent.

"These people all dominate with shouting, tyrannizing people and by sheer physical presence," Conniff said. "And that's exactly what an alpha male does in a chimp troupe or among gorillas."

The Inner Primate

You don't have to watch a wildlife show to see an alpha male in action, Conniff says.

On a video that has been making the rounds on the Internet, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer appears to be getting in touch with his inner primate when he leaps around the podium cheering and screaming to rile up the audience before his speech.

"I have four words for you," Ballmer said at the end of his now-infamous one-man rally. "I love this company."

Conniff says Ballmer succeeded at humiliation instead of intimidation. But aggression isn't the only way to exert control.

Corporate executives such as Ted Turner and Bill Gates have used mammoth charitable gifts to boost their stature, Conniff says. Such displays remind him of the Arabian babbler, a rare bird. To gain status, the top males of the species often feed their weaker peers.

"And the subordinate has to kind of feign submission and open its mouth and sort of beg like a nestling," Conniff said. "And then the dominant crams it down his throat. And then the dominant stands up and he sort of trills. It's kind of like a socialite being photographed by the event photographer at a charity ball."

Displaying dominance has its perks, in nature and in the corporate world.

A case in point is former General Electric CEO Jack Welch, who — according to a recent court filing in his divorce case — has been living in a company apartment where GE provided everything from chefs to toilet paper.

"He's got this habit of being groomed and of being tended to and of being kowtowed to — the same as an alpha chimp does," Conniff said. "And letting that go, letting all of those privileges sort of vanish is a pretty difficult thing."

The Peacock Understands Perks

There is even precedent in nature for the types of perks former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski preferred, the author says. His $15,000 poodle-shaped umbrella stand serves as a perfect specimen, as does his costly shower curtain.

"What would an ape make of Dennis Kozlowski's $6,000 shower curtain?" Conniff said. "An ape would be seriously confused, but a peacock would understand it. It's display behavior."

The risky behaviors of the rich also have parallels in the animal kingdom. Such risky behaviors include Kozlowski's alleged attempt to save $1 million in sales tax on paintings, the balloon trips of millionaire semi-retired Chicago stockbroker Steve Fossett, and Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison's yacht-racing habit.

Such behaviors are common in nature, says Conniff.

Like gazelles who leap up and down, taunting their predators, corporate thrill-seekers look for daredevil stunts to scare off rivals and impress the females. The result: The corporate daredevil's sexual schedule is heavily booked.

"They get more of it, and with more partners," Conniff said.

What’s With Air Kisses?

Similarly, in nature, alpha males always mate more.

"Jack Welch for instance wrote in his book Straight from the Gut — and by the way Jack is short and bald — he said, 'Being rich is like standing 6-foot-4 and having a full head of hair. You get lots of dates with very attractive women,'" Conniff said.

As for rich women, Conniff says there's an explanation for those air kisses they often make. This ladies-that-lunch-type behavior comes from chimps, too, he contends.

"Originally animals would be leaning in and they'd be picking things out of another animal's hair, and making that kind of a lip-smacking gesture," Conniff said. "So that became a way of saying, 'I'm your friend, I want to groom you. I'm not going to hurt you.' "

As for the activity now frequently associated with rich — the perp walk — Conniff says he can find nothing similar in nature. The animal kingdom may be dog-eat-dog at times, but the type of callous, catastrophic greed we have seen of late belongs only to humans.

ABCNEWS' Dan Harris reported this story for Good Morning America.