Charles opposed almost every policy of President Barack Obama and then battled various Donald Trump initiatives for entirely different reasons. Labeling Charles’ political philosophy is impossible, but there is definitely a kinship to libertarianism, with an emphasis on capitalist free markets untrammeled by government intervention. At first interested in influencing electoral politics to aid Koch Industries’ profitability, Charles eventually expanded the corporate presence inside state legislatures and the U.S. Rather, the brothers became multibillionaires by controlling oil and gas production, paper products, derivatives trading in multiple commodities, engineering services, and much more.

As the author shows, the Koch brand does not appear on consumer products. The fourth brother never became involved in the operation of the business. Another brother challenged Charles by filing lawsuits but, over the decades, finally pulled back. “The company’s story is the story of America’s energy system, of its blue-collar factory workers, of millionaire derivatives traders, corporate lobbyists, and private equity deal makers.” Brother David shared ownership and participated in management of the company, which never sold stock to the public. “Koch’s operations span the entire landscape of the American economy,” writes business reporter Leonard ( The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America's Food Business, 2014). Charles would build the conglomerate into an entity so sprawling, profitable, and politically powerful that it seems to defy all reason. In 1967, Charles Koch inherited from his recently deceased father the leadership of a medium-sized, nearly invisible industrial conglomerate based in Wichita, Kansas. A massively reported deep dive into the unparalleled corporate industrial giant Koch Industries.

Kochland by christopher leonard