Creative Destruction - Did Ryan Powers Blow Up One Career to Launch Another?

 On influential professional anonymous network Reddit Big Law former Davis Polk associate Ryan Powers didn't receive much empathy or support. Ryans claims he was terminated by the firm for what he published.

The facts of his situation were unambiguous. Powers was told by the law firm to stop publishing articles which in some way were critical of the Trump administration. This is standard policy with most employers. Surprisingly, he was simply given a warning. Most would have anticipated his getting the boot immediately - after the very first posting. 

Then Powers pulled a cute: He drafted yet another article, this one focused on a Davis Polk client Palantir which also does assignments for the administration. He requested that they review it before he published. Yes, he had been previously told not to publish any such material. And he asked the powers-that-be to use company time to review yet another article. There is a Yiddish term to describe that kind of move: Chutzpah.

Ryans found himself escorted out of the firm by three security guards and out of job.

Well, well. This might not be the first instance of what it known as "Creative Destruction." The term coined by Joseph Schumpeter, it means the need to destroy what is to open to what can be. Societies do it all the time. So do individuals. 

A recent macro instance was digital, which wiped out analog. Centuries ago Martin Luther took on the Roman Catholic Church to liberate thinking about religion. That was called the Protestant Revolution. 

On an individual basis there has been former Skadden associate Rachel Cohen who quit the job in order to go on with her activism as an influencer. Internally at that law firm she was lobbying against the kind of dealmaking which Skadden and other firms had made with the administration since Paul Weiss created the model for such negotiation. The extensive coverage by media and social about her exit extended her reach. 

Recall also that Steve Jobs was fired from Apple. That provided the space for him to retool in what he could be. 

Let's not get into psychobabble about Powers. It's irrelevant if he engaged in his publishing ventures because of a conscious strategy or unconscious motivation. Instead, what could be useful is to look at is this: the fresh opportunities he has created for himself by getting fired. 

Seemingly savvy about attention - how to get it, hold it and grow it - Powers went to his Substack platform to tell his side of the Davis Polk story. No, that posting didn't sit well with those in the legal world. But Powers doesn't have to care about that tribe any more. Let them continue playing in their conformist sandbox. Powers can focus on carving out a full-time career as some kind of activist. 

The advantages of such a shift are obvious. 

Powers would have more control, compared to being a junior lawyer unable to unplug from the 24/7 emails or notices on Teams from partners with assignments or revisions.

It's fun to rock boats. So much of practicing law at the bottom of the pecking order is joyless. 

There could be real money in being a version of a "preacher." Consider the wealth of those starting mega churches. 

In coaching I continually impress on clients the old adage: It takes doors to close before other doors can open. When a door closes with a loud slam, use that publicity. 

Rattled, maybe the first time since you started working? Faith-based Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com). Yes, test out the chemistry.