Perhaps the problem with charismatic business leaders is that we’re just suckers for them. Quote from Sebastian Mallaby, author of The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Art of Disruption (2022):

A necessary part of starting a company is to be able to tell a story of where you’re going, what the vision is, and get people excited, both about joining your company and about being a customer of your company, and about investing in your company. And without some degree of that vision/storytelling ability, you’re unlikely to get anywhere. So I wouldn’t be too negative about charisma. But charisma without the substance? Then that is a problem.