Charles Koch

Chairman and Co-CEO, Koch Formerly Koch

Search every verified Charles Koch interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Charles Koch appeared in two public events in mid-2026, discussing his principle-based management framework and the history of Koch Inc. In a May interview with David Friedberg, Koch described the company's growth as a series of failures and recoveries, and emphasized that being privately held and founder-operated allows the firm to take long-term risks. He stated that any good partnership requires shared vision, shared values, and complementary capabilities. In a July event at Wichita State University, Koch said the worst failures at his company resulted from violating the principle of hiring first on values, second on talent, and hardly at all on credentials, and from promoting destructively motivated people who sought power over others. Koch also discussed his social and civic engagement through the organization Stand Together, which focuses on education reform and social change. He stated that his goal is to help the United States "more fully live up to the promise in the Declaration of Independence" by working toward a society of equal rights and mutual benefit. Koch was joined by his son Chase Koch, who has taken a leading role in incorporating artificial intelligence into the promotion of their book "Principle-Driven Leader."