For almost twenty years: Shu-Ching Jean Chen, “Samsung’s Lee Family Accused of
Corrupt Dealings,” Forbes, November 13, 2007, https://www.forbes.com/
2007/11/13/samsung-corruption-investigation-face-markets-
cx_jc_1113autofacescan01.html.
They stayed mere steps ahead: Seo Bo-mi, “Samsung’s ‘Innovative’ Inheritance
Technique,” Hankyoreh, January 5, 2013, http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/
english_edition/e_business/568398.html.
“Is it possible?”: Samsung C&T shareholder, interview by the author, February 4,
2015.
Rumors were spreading: “Rumor of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s
Death Raises Stock Prices,” BusinessKorea, April 16, 2015,
http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=10149.
wanted an end to the uncertainty: Eight Samsung shareholders, meetings and phone
conversations with the author, May 2014–June 2016.
at a ratio of 1.5 for his mother: “Hong Ra-hee’s Stock Valuation Soars...Emerging
as the ‘Nucleus’ of Management Succession,” Yonhap News Agency, March
21, 2017, https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20170320161100008. This source
is in Korean. The author’s researcher translated the title and the quoted text
into English.
My company sources told me: A dozen Samsung employees and recently departed
employees, meetings and phone conversations with the author, May 2014–
August 2015.
“Under the merger agreement”: “The Samsung Group Is Merging Two Major Units
as It Prepares to Transfer Power in the Founding Family,” AFP, May 26,
2015, https://www.businessinsider.com/afp-samsung-to-merge-two-major-
units-2015-5.
“That seems...odd?”: Matthew Levine, “Samsung Group Is Doing a Cozy Merger,”
Bloomberg, July 2, 2015, https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2015-
07-01/samsung-group-is-doing-a-cozy-merger.
Jay Lee owned a 23 percent stake: Min-jeong Lee and Jonathan Cheng, “Samsung
Heir Apparent Jay Y Consolidates Power with Merger,” The Wall Street
Journal, May 26, 2015, https://www.wsj.com/articles/samsung-heir-apparent-
consolidates-power-with-merger-of-two-major-firms-1432603589.
“The attempt by the boards”: Levine, “Samsung Group Is Doing a Cozy Merger.”
“fight against charlatans”: Max Abelson and Katia Porzecanski, “Paul Singer Will
Make Argentina Pay,” Bloomberg, August 7, 2014,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-07/argentinas-vulture-
paul-singer-is-wall-street-freedom-fighter.
Elliott Management controlled $27 billion: Nate Raymond and Joseph Ax,
“Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Top Deputy to Join Hedge Fund Elliott,” Reuters,
June 18, 2015, https://www.reuters.com/article/hedgefund-elliott-lawyer/