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Article Excerpt
Rupert Murdoch's 'insatiable' desire.

From Inside Rupert's Brain by Paul R. La Monica. Copyright 2009 by the author. Published by Portfolio, a member of Penguin Group (U.S.A.) Inc (www.penguin.com).

WHETHER Rupert Murdoch decides it is time to call it quits and enjoy the fruits of the media empire he has built remains to be seen. But those who have followed him closely doubt that he will ever relinquish the desire to finish ahead of the competition. Murdoch may have mellowed, but it's unlikely he will ever completely change.

What it all boils down to, what seems to motivate nearly every one of Murdoch's business decisions--from the most mundane to the boldest and most controversial--is his insatiable desire to demonstrate that those who doubt him are wrong and to defy conventional wisdom. And what greater challenge could there be for Murdoch than to do battle with the notions of time and age? At this point in his career, the only thing he may have left to prove is that he can still function as a competent chairman and CEO for far longer than anyone would have thought imaginable. So don't be surprised to see Murdoch still lurking around the News Corp. executive suite well into his eighties or even nineties. There probably would be no greater delight for Murdoch than sticking around long enough to give [his youngest daughters] Chloe and Grace their first jobs at News Corp.

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Paul R. La Monica is editor at large at CNNMoney.com.

'My weakness': Tales of Tom Watson Sr.

From Lasting Lessons from the Corner Office by Todd G. Buchholz. Copyright 2007 by the author. Published by Collins Business, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (www.harpercollins.com).

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