That could’ve been the title of Rob Copeland’s gripping inside look at Ray Dalio’s hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates.

Cults seem to have a few things in common including leaders who combine delusions of grandeur with atypical charisma. In the Bridgewater Associates cult, Ray Dalio combined delusions of grandeur with unfathomable wealth which he used to maintain a loyal following. Many Bridgewater employees sacrificed their morals, mental health, and general well-being for the prospects of striking it rich.

The gap between Dalio’s public persona as an investing and human relations genius and Copeland’s portrait of an insecure, simple-minded, self-centered, and cruel bully, is a searing indictment of the financial press.

After reading The Fund, one can’t help but be skeptical, if not hopelessly cynical about anybody with a glowing public persona. With no end in sight, we continue to buy what the rich and famous are so desperately selling.

Almost like we’re in a cult.