The Public Icons Case Study

We believe the work you do today should matter 100 years from now.

That’s why we only invest in companies that meet – or show remarkable promise for sustainable long term growth. This long term focus inspired us to deeply understand why some companies continue to be tremendously successful despite volatile market conditions, ever increasing competition, and management succession.

How did Toyota’s valuation eclipse Ford’s by 5x? And why is the average Chipotle door worth $14 million, while the average Q’Doba location worth just $740k? How could Southwest Airlines gobble up market share when a pandemic shut down its industry? And what gave Tesla the torque to go from zero to the world’s most valuable car company in 15 years? Once you see these principles, you won’t be able to unsee them. They will help you understand why truly great companies make the decisions they do.

You’ll see why Toyota’s been telling the same old reliability story since the 1960s. Why Chipotle went against its investors to switch pork suppliers and jack up the price of carnitas – winning the affections of customers in the process. Why Tesla’s takeover of Solar City was such a “blindingly obvious” move. And why Southwest Airlines can forfeit billions of dollars on free checked bags, and still remain the only major airline to avoid bankruptcy.