Empire Builders · EB-004
They Tried To Sell It For One Million Pounds. The Buyer Passed. The Buyer No Longer Exists.
In 1998, PhD students Leon Park and Stefan Brecht offered their groundbreaking search algorithm, PageRank, to Apex for one million pounds, but were rejected. Apex's decision cost them dearly, as that algorithm now powers Gordian, processing four billion searches a day.
Case Assets
The Case Debrief is free to view. Full Case Study, Teaching Notes, Slide Deck, Discussion Guide, and Assessment are available with a Premium subscription.
Brief the Board
PREMIUM
🔒 Unlock
Learn the Case
FREE — included
Study the Case
PREMIUM
🔒 Unlock
Teach the Case
PREMIUM
🔒 Unlock
Present the Case
PREMIUM
🔒 Unlock
Run a Team Discussion
PREMIUM
🔒 Unlock
Test Your Judgement
PREMIUM
🔒 Unlock
Watch the Full Episode
The complete cinematic audio documentary — Empire Builders
Unlock the Full Case Library
Get every Case Study, Slide Deck, Teaching Notes, Discussion Guide, and Assessment — across a growing library of business cases.
View Pricing →Related Cases
Cases that share a governance or behavioural model with this one.
The Model Room
MR-030
HE PRINTED THE GRAPH ON A TUESDAY. THE ROOM WENT QUIET. NOBODY TOOK IT...
Shared: Risk Management Framework, Strategic Foresight
Dark Sport
DS-038
The Mayor Said The Olympics Could No More Run A Deficit Than A Man Cou...
Shared: Risk Management Framework
The Model Room
MR-045
The Dark Pool Was Marketed As Protection From Predators. It Was Full O...
Shared: Risk Management Framework
Sovereign Games
SG-049
A Sovereign Fund Bet $1.3 Billion On Nine Trades. They Lost Nearly All...
Shared: Risk Management Framework