History Main / CorruptCOrporateExecutive

Sadly, this trope is all too often TruthInTelevision, but be that as it may, Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease

* [[spoiler:Sir Miles Axelrod]] from ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'' [[spoiler:is the CEO of Axelrod Industries. The plot centers around his scheme to SabotageToDiscredit alternative fuels by inventing Allinol, which is actually an explosive gas, so he and the lemons can become rich from their oil rigs by encouraging cars to go back to fueling themselves with gasoline rather than switch to alternative fuels. In order to cover up this fact, and to succeed at his goal, he is willing to kill anyone who interferes with this plan, including Lightning [=McQueen=] and the C.H.R.O.M.E. agents investigating him, Finn and Holley.]]

* [[spoiler:Mr. Waternoose]] in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc''. [[spoiler:This is mostly brought about by the company's impending failure, so he felt he had no choice but to agree to serve as Randall's henchman.]]

* WebVideo/TheDebbieAndCarrieShow features as one of its main villains Leonard Wilson, who is part owner of the Town's hospital and takes advantage of that position to contaminate the Town's own water supply to get the hospital more patients to increase its own profits.

* The ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G33BeHzVrf0 Pole Position]]'' UsefulNotes/Atari2600 and 5200 ad lampshades this:

Expect to find them at the head of an enormous boardroom table on the top floor of an EvilTowerOfOminousness. He may be a BadBoss, but not always. A few of them can actually be very decent employers, with employees who are completely in the dark about their underhanded plans. If so, the public [[VillainWithGoodPublicity is often just as much in the dark]]. Naturally, this sort of villain tends to have an AmoralAttorney (or several) on his payroll to keep the authorities off his back, in case he does slip up, and a small stormtrooper army of "[[{{Mooks}} security personnel]]" who have carte blanche to "[[DeadlyEuphemism deal with problems"]], dispose of evidence of wrongdoing and commit violent crimes to protect the boss. If those resources fail, [[EveryManHasHisPrice he often uses money to "buy" or even "own" officials.]] In more {{Dystopia}}n settings, expect them to be like dictators, each leading a MegaCorp.

They usually [[FridgeLogic fail to consider]] the [[DidntThinkThisThrough full effects of their plan]], or the fact that [[CutLexLuthorACheck they can make more by going legit]], and at times the plan [[MissingStepsPlan seems to have no concrete way of creating wealth.]] Usually, they remain in business thanks to OffscreenVillainDarkMatter. Expect them to butt heads with fellows executives when their plans give the business a P.R. headache.

If they have a [[TheDragon Dragon]], expect them to be a vice executive or personal assistant. If TheDragon is female, then she’ll most likely be a SecretaryOfEvil. They can either be a BeleagueredAssistant or ProfessionalButtKisser depending on how much they put up with their boss’s crap.

Though there are earlier examples, the modern Corrupt Corporate Executive had (until relatively recently) a distinctly TheEighties feel (due to the influence of {{Cyberpunk}}), which made him seem progressively more out of place as those affectations become less mainstream. Earlier Corrupt Corporate Executives tended to be far less stylized and distinct from other "smooth" villain types (often with a healthy streak of [[Characters/JamesBondBlofeld Ernst Stavro Blofeld]]). However, starting with the TurnOfTheMillennium onwards, countless high profile real-life cases of corporate corruption have arguably diminished the '80s feel of the character and made the Corrupt Corporate Executive a very modern villain—particularly with the rise in the last decade of the TechBro subtype. See the [[Analysis/CorruptCorporateExecutive analysis page]] for more discussion of the variations of Corrupt Corporate Execs that show up in media.

* People that saw the first ''Film/JurassicPark'' film and decided to give the [[Literature/JurassicPark book]] a try got a ''very'' rude awakening when they learn that John Hammond of the book was this trope. He makes no qualms about blackmailing his employees, cutting costs, and endangering people if it means he can open a park (or three) and make a profit out of it. [[spoiler: His greed and unwillingness to see how much of a failure the park is eventually got him killed when he was attacked by a herd of compys.]] Compare that to the film, where Hammond comes across more as a WellIntentionedExtremist (he genuinely wanted children to experience the same wonder and excitement he feels about dinosaurs, but he still cuts corners to try to speed up the opening day, [[spoiler: but is willing to disown the park when he sees how much of a disaster the park had become]]).

* The BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheMovie'', Alphonse Perrier du von Scheck. He is the CEO of Future Tech Industries and the descendant of a commanding redcoat during the Revolutionary War who plots to have Arnold's neighborhood, where a significant battle occurred that the colonists won against his family, demolished so that he can make room for a new mall complex and reclaim it in the name of his family, even going as far as to [[FieryCoverUp burn]] [[DestroyTheEvidence the vital government document]] revealing the truth about his ancestors and declaring the neighborhood a national historic landmark [[EngineeredPublicConfession in front of Arnold and Gerald]] so nobody can stop his evil plan. [[spoiler:However, Scheck's decision to destroy the document [[DidntThinkThisThrough comes back to bite him right in his ass]] due to the whole thing having been CaughtOnTape [[HoistByHisOwnPetard by his own surveillance cameras]], [[BigBrotherIsWatching mounted everywhere in his building]], and the document was shown as clear as possible before he burned it. The boys manage to obtain a videotape of Scheck's crimes and show them to the infuriated townspeople, resulting in his eventual [[PutOnAPrisonBus arrest]].]]

%%* [[spoiler:Miles Axlerod]], the ''real'' BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/Cars2''.

* [[spoiler:Sir Miles Axelrod]] from ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'' [[spoiler:is the CEO of Axelrod Industries. The plot centers around his scheme to SabotageToDiscredit alternative fuels by inventing Allinol, which is actually an explosive gas, so he and the lemons can become rich from their oil rigs by encouraging cars to go back to fueling themselves with gasoline rather than switch to alternative fuels. In order to cover up this fact, and to succeed at his goal, he is willing to kill anyone who interferes with this plan, including Lightning McQueen and the C.H.R.O.M.E. agents investigating him, Finn and Holley.]]

* ''Anime/NappingPrincess'': The main antagonist, Watanabe, is a senior member of Sajima Motors, and uses his power to influence the police and ultimately intends to make a hostile takeover of the company. In general, he does keep to legal means, however, and even wants the procession at the Olympic Games to go over well just as much as everyone else (even if that's just because it would be bad for him if someone was injured). His counterpart in Heartland is much worse, making sure the princess stays imprisoned, keeping the country in danger, and ultimately wants to watch everything burn when his plans are foiled.

* ''Literature/TheDivide'': Snakeweed runs a potion company that considers proper testing a complete waste of time, leading to treatments that work great on one mystical species and are usually lethal to others.

* This occurs many times in the ''Literature/{{Destroyer}}''. The example that comes to mind is the Executive of the Vox network trying to take over a rival via using the Evil AI FRIEND.

See also the CorruptPolitician and the MorallyBankruptBanker (who helps hide ill-gotten gains in a secret SwissBankAccount), his drinking buddies, and the AmoralAttorney, a brigade of whom will be found on his payroll. A CCE will either be in regular contact with the local DiabolicalMastermind or (if particularly organised, competent, and disinterested in petty matters of legality) will be one himself. Compare GreedyJew and PointyHairedBoss. Contrast HonestCorporateExecutive, the CCE's natural enemy. But remember that sometimes, EvenEvilHasStandards (and/or [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes Loved Ones]]), especially in a WhatYouAreInTheDark situation. In a work with a GreenAesop, this individual is usually an EcocidalAntagonist who runs some form of ToxicInc.

See also the CorruptPolitician and the MorallyBankruptBanker (who helps hide ill-gotten gains in a secret SwissBankAccount), his drinking buddies, and the AmoralAttorney, a brigade of whom will be found on his payroll. A CCE will either be in regular contact with the local DiabolicalMastermind or (if particularly organised, competent, and disinterested in petty matters of legality) will be one himself. Compare GreedyJew and PointyHairedBoss. Contrast HonestCorporateExecutive, the CCE's natural enemy. But remember that sometimes, EvenEvilHasStandards (and/or [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes Loved Ones]]), especially in a WhatYouAreInTheDark situation.

* ''WebVideo/TheWarpZone'': Dick Richards, portrayed as working as an executive for a number of media companies such as Warner Bros, Paramount, and especially Disney, qualifies. In his more recent videos, he details how he pulls the strings behind movies such as ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog'' to make as much money as possible no matter how low-quality or cheap his plans are and how they effect the consumers, who he sees as dumb sheep that will watch whatever is put on a screen.

** In one instance, he and Connor manage to convince Wilbur to steal diamonds from a police station just so he could buy their cryptocurrency, while also blackmailing him using the fact that they saw him with golden apples (which are illegal on the server).

* In the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Oblivion}},'' Ansem is depicted as one -- he's the CEO of a massive electronics company, and he's got a secret lab where he's carrying out certain unethical (and unnatural) experiments.

Expect to find them at the head of an enormous boardroom table on the top floor of an EvilTowerOfOminousness. He may be a BadBoss, but not always. A few of them can actually be very decent employers, with employees who are completely in the dark about their underhanded plans. If so, the public [[VillainWithGoodPublicity is often just as much in the dark]]. Naturally, this sort of villain tends to have an AmoralAttorney (or several) on his payroll to keep the authorities off his back, in case he does slip up, and a small stormtrooper army of "[[{{Mooks}} security personnel]]" who have carte blanche to "[[DeadlyEuphemism deal with problems"]], dispose of evidence of wrongdoing and commit violent crimes to protect the boss. If those resources fail, [[EveryManHasHisPrice he often uses money to "buy" or even "own" officials.]]