• • Whole Foods CEO: A New Way to Think About Capitalism 
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Capitalism  | Listening to Whole Foods founder and CEO John Mackey talk, you get the sense he read quite a bit of Ayn Rand growing up. “Business is the greatest creator of value in the world,” he said today at SXSW. “Business is fundamentally ethical, because no one has to trade. Business is fundamentally noble, because it elevates humanity. Business is fundamentally heroic, because it ends poverty.”  

• • Top 10 Influential Business Books of All Time 
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Atlas Shrugged  |Capitalism  |Personal life  |Image  | Ayn Rand's screed against collectivism utterly transformed how many business leaders perceive their role in society. Prior to Rand, many executives felt apologetic for their success and responsible (at least to some extent) for the welfare of those less fortunate. After Rand, many executives now view themselves as heroic figures, an upper crust of "makers" amidst a herd of "takers."  

• • 17 Bold, Marginally Probable Business Predictions for 2013 
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Rush  | 9. Ayn Rand becomes known primarily as the lyrical inspiration for the Rush album 2112. Mentions still occasionally result in philosophical discussions regarding happiness as a moral purpose... but in most cases the result is a flurry of devil horn gestures.  

• • You Control the Fate of Business 
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Atlas Shrugged  | I recently finished reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. One of the themes in the book is the concept that money is a merely a means for trading our "best effort for the best efforts of others." I was reminded of this as I listened to the debates and doomsday predictions about the fiscal cliff and the debt ceiling that hung over our New Year celebrations.  

• • • 5 Reasons Ayn Rand Is Bad for Business 
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Altruism  |Atheism  |Capitalism  |Egoism  |Image  | For decades, CEOs have touted Ayn Rand as a “must-read” for staff and employees alike.  Here are five good reasons that’s a bad idea--if you want your business to be successful. 1. Rand focuses employees on money. Rand practically worshipped the almighty dollar, seeing the acquisition of wealth as a goal worthy in and of itself. Unfortunately, when that attitude spreads throughout an organization, a higher salary becomes the only motivation that really works. That means top workers will, of course, leave the moment they get a better offer elsewhere.  

• File under “shameless self-promotion” 
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Our colleagues in Inc.'s art department are celebrating five merit awards presented by the Society of Publication Designers. SPD recognized Inc. for the still-life photography in the Inc. 500 issue, an illustration of author Ayn Rand that appeared in the November issue, and our recurring photo essays "Behind the Scenes," "Passions," and "Innovation."  

• • • The real Ayn Rand 
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Atlas Shrugged  |The Fountainhead  |Capitalism  |Leonard Peikoff  |Personal life  |Image  | Interview with Anne C. Heller, author of Ayn Rand and the World She Made.
[Q:] How did you become interested in Rand? [A:] Until about 10 years ago, I had never read a word of her. Then I met Suze Orman while I was developing a personal finance magazine. Suze e-mailed me a copy of the famous speech from Atlas Shrugged in which Francisco d'Anconia defends making money as a moral act. The speech begins: "You think money is the root of all evil?" I intended to read only the first line, but I found myself reading the whole thing. I admired the pace and snap of the language. The argument was powerful. It represented things I didn't believe in but had no definitive argument against. And I loved parts of it, like where she says money will give you the means for the satisfaction of your desires, but it will not provide you with desires. That struck me as wise and pertinent.  

• Leaders share their inspiration: Mom, dad, and Ayn Rand 

“Entrepreneurs from the 2009 Inc. 500 talk about the people who inspired them.”
"Ayn Rand and objectivist thinking." -- Oran Thomas, Mpell Solutions.  

• • Such a character: 30 memorable fictional entrepreneurs 

Atlas Shrugged  |Capitalism  | 1. Hank Rearden. John Galt is the über-capitalist in Atlas Shrugged, but steel magnate Rearden is easier to take.  

• • Ayn of a thousand pages 
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Atlas Shrugged  |The Fountainhead  |We The Living  |Personal life  | Mini-biography.
Rand's characters embody a philosophy she called "objectivism," a worldview that eschewed religion but gave a big thumbs-up to facts, reason, capitalism, and rational self-interest.  

• • • Happy anniversary, masters of the universe 
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Atlas Shrugged  | Atlas Shrugged was largely panned upon publication and still has its detractors. ("Obviously the high priestess of free enterprise never met the men of Enron, Adelphia, and WorldCom," scoffed Arianna Huffington in her book Pigs at the Trough.) But countless entrepreneurs credit the book with inspiring them to start their businesses and persevere in tough times. In honor of the novel's 50th anniversary, Inc. asked some Rand-obsessed entrepreneurs how Atlas Shrugged changed their lives.