EXIT

We raised $1.3 billion and built one of the most powerful AI models in the world. Then I left to run Microsoft AI. People called it a failure. I call it a $650 million acqui-hire that changed the industry.

We sold Starwood Hotels to Marriott for $13.6 billion. I started with one distressed apartment complex. That is what happens when you buy what nobody wants and turn it into what everyone wants.

My family controlled 85% of the world's diamonds for a century. Then the market changed. We sold. Timing matters more than sentimentality.

Three generations built De Beers. I'm the one who had to decide when to let go. That was harder than anything my grandfather did.

I sold 51% for $600 million at 21. Whatever "self-made" means, that happened.

When I decide to finish an innings, I know. You need to know when to walk off. In business, in investment, in life — knowing when to exit is the most important skill.