A spread from Ray Dalio’s best-selling 2017 book, *Principles,* a set of rules for self-improvement that the author Rob Copeland calls a “kaleidoscope of contradictions and a barely veiled weapon for abuse.”

Burning Bridgewater

By Bethany McLean

The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend by Rob Copeland

In September 2017, Ray Dalio, the multi-billionaire founder of Bridgewater—for a time the world’s biggest hedge fund by a factor of more than two—released his book, Principles, which is essentially a set of rules for self-improvement. They celebrate independent thinking and non-hierarchical honesty, among other qualities. “I’ve made discoveries that can change the world, make the world a much better place, make people much better,” Dalio told one interviewer. “This is the best gift I could give the world.”

Other billionaires and big thinkers, from Bill Gates to Tony Robbins, concurred. “Ray Dalio has provided me with invaluable guidance and insights that are now available to you in Principles,” Gates raved.