Michael Nichols is the founder of Phaneros and the author of Fatal Abstraction (Emerald, August 2026), a study of how leaders mistake elegant frameworks for accurate ones. Previously VP of Strategy & M&A at Mann+Hummel, he has evaluated more than 400 ventures across 20 countries.
On the show he handles strategy, market structure, and the occasional historical detour through Alexander, Stalin, and Xerxes.
Off-mic he reads — with varying competence — in Russian, German, Spanish, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, sings, writes songs, and plays guitar, piano, and cello. The history detours on the show are not a bit.
