Chapter 1
From the Bronx to the Boardroom: A Disrupter's Journey
In the heart of the Bronx, a young boy born to Haitian immigrants would one day transform the gaming industry. Reggie Fils-Aime's journey from a one-bedroom tenement to becoming President of Nintendo of America wasn't a story of luck, but of preparation meeting opportunity. His distinctive approach to leadership-combining analytical thinking with bold decision-making-would eventually earn him the nickname "The Regginator" among gaming fans worldwide. This memoir, which has become required reading in business schools across America, reveals how Fils-Aime's unique background shaped his disruptive leadership style that helped Nintendo reclaim its position as an industry innovator. Beyond the boardroom strategies, it's a deeply human story about standing by your convictions, learning from failure, and finding your unique path to success in an increasingly complex world.
Chapter 2
Standing Tall: The Power of Doing What's Right
My early life lessons came from watching my family stand firm in the face of adversity. My maternal grandfather Camille, Harvard-educated and serving as Haiti's secretary of health and education, chose exile rather than serve under dictator Francois Duvalier. He spoke against the regime at the United Nations, knowing he would never see his wife again as she was forbidden to leave Haiti. This principled stance against tyranny became part of my family's legacy.
This moral courage manifested in everyday moments too. When my brother and I were robbed of our quarters while walking to buy the Sunday paper, my mother didn't hesitate. She marched us back to confront the teenage thieves, chasing them down the street until they stopped near a group of intimidating men. When the toughest-looking man demanded to know what was happening, my mother boldly explained. He made the teens return our money, and my mother walked away with her head held high, never looking back.
These experiences taught me that doing what's right isn't just talk-it means actively pushing back against wrongdoing and pursuing the best outcome regardless of consequences. This concept of backing up beliefs and distinguishing right from wrong was ingrained in me from childhood and remains applicable in adulthood.
Life in the Bronx was challenging. One Sunday morning, as we prepared for a family trip, my mother told us to look up, not down, while descending the stairs. Being six, I did the opposite and saw drops of blood trailing down five flights-evidence of a man stabbed on our building's roof the night before. Though he survived, this incident convinced my parents we needed to leave. My father worked two jobs, six days a week, saving enough for a small house in Brentwood, Long Island.
I learned early that opportunity isn't simply handed out. Life requires perseverance and grit. You either toughen up from your experiences or wither away. I got tough and learned to push for what I wanted-a lesson from my family I continue to follow today.
Chapter 3
Charting Your Own Path: From Cornell to Corporate America
In Brentwood, I flourished academically and athletically, but neither my immigrant parents nor our overwhelmed guidance department could help me navigate the college application process. I methodically approached this challenge-identifying my fundamental objective (affording college), exploring alternatives (ROTC scholarships, athletic opportunities), developing contingency plans, and making decisions with both analysis and emotional awareness.
I applied to three schools: Syracuse as my safe choice, Hobart College which considered offering me a soccer scholarship, and my dream school, Cornell University. I was accepted by all three and chose Cornell, setting foot on campus for the first time when moving into my dorm-a decision that would define my life.
For Air Force ROTC orientation, I mapped out my entire four-year academic schedule using Cornell's massive course catalog. Beyond business management requirements, I added fascinating electives like Oceanography and Introduction to Wine and Spirits, creating an ambitious plan with up to 25 credits per semester in my senior year. My advisor suggested we start with my freshman schedule and "see how this experiment goes." Though I never took that heavy course load, the exercise made me thoughtfully plan my education.
After two years in ROTC, I opted out rather than commit to what seemed a regimented military career. To fund my education, I took student loans, received scholarships, and worked during school and summers. My relationships with key professors led to positions as a teaching assistant and ultimately to an opportunity with Procter & Gamble, which heavily recruited at Cornell.
P&G's brand management function taught all aspects of running a business and was the pathway to senior positions. Unlike other P&G functions that hired undergraduates, brand management typically recruited MBA graduates. The opportunity to fast-track my career without needing years in a bank rotation program plus an MBA was compelling. If successful, I could be a brand manager by twenty-five and an executive by thirty.
The key learning wasn't just landing a prestigious job-it was about being open to alternative paths and outcomes. Too often we fixate on a single plan, convinced that only one company or field will make us happy. While having a plan is important, we must constantly test its relevance against current circumstances. Being open to alternatives helped me find a great first job that aligned with my long-term objectives.
Chapter 4
Mastering the Corporate Game: Lessons from P&G and Beyond
Every organization has a culture that defines how people act when no one is looking. At Procter & Gamble, this culture consisted of the one-page memo, the "What Counts" Factors, and the "up or out" philosophy.
The perfect P&G memo began with a clear purpose statement, framed thinking in threes (one or two points wasn't convincing; four was overkill), anticipated concerns with risk mitigation strategies, and outlined detailed next steps. This discipline developed two crucial skills: strong business writing and clarity of thinking. It taught me to assess the big picture, be persuasive, support proposals with data, anticipate questions, and create detailed action plans.
I was fortunate to have Bob Gill as my mentor at P&G. When I grew frustrated about not being promoted to brand manager while watching peers advance, I secretly interviewed with another company. Bob discovered my "sick day" ruse and insisted I meet him at his house that Saturday. While demolishing drywall together, he gave me straight advice: be patient, as I had many sponsors in the company. Real mentorship happens naturally over time, based on mutual desire for growth. Mentors provide perspective and understand your business culture, rather than telling you what to do.
After my time in P&G's soft-drink business ended, I considered making a bid for the Sun Drop brand with colleagues. My mentor Bob advised against it, suggesting I wasn't ready to negotiate with private equity but was close to another promotion at P&G. I reluctantly returned to work on Crisco, implementing a successful advertising campaign featuring hands creating a pie with Crisco, scored to Vivaldi's Four Seasons. However, I overstepped my authority by starting the advertising earlier than budgeted without approval, causing profitability issues. Though the brand ultimately delivered exceptional results, I had effectively killed my career at P&G through this unauthorized spending.
Mistakes are inevitable learning opportunities. When you make a mistake, own up to it rather than making excuses or blaming others. Be honest that your decision didn't work, learn from it, and commit to never making that same mistake again.
This lesson served me well at Pizza Hut, where I managed the Bigfoot Pizza project-our answer to Little Caesars' two-for-one deals during the recession. The rectangular two-foot-by-one-foot pizza drove massive revenue growth, though I had to convince skeptical franchisees through additional test markets. Six months after launch, market research revealed a problem: the lower-quality ingredients were causing consumers to negatively rate even our regular pizza. I advocated to discontinue the billion-dollar, award-winning product I'd launched to protect the brand's long-term health-teaching me to think strategically and pivot quickly when necessary.
Chapter 5
The Art of Disruption: Finding Your Unique Value
Early in my career, I discovered my passion for fast-paced, constantly evolving businesses and complex problem-solving. While others found complexity frustrating, I saw it as an invitation to dig in and drive business forward. I developed the ability to balance strategic big-picture thinking with detailed execution-what I call telescoping and microscoping-a rare combination that became my core competency.
Most managers excel at either understanding the big picture or managing details. The best business leaders can do both, comfortably shifting between these skills at the appropriate time, sometimes within the same meeting.
At Panda Management Company (PMC), I put these behaviors into practice as my first role on an executive leadership team. PMC, the parent of Panda Express and Panda Inn, was transforming from a family business into a high-growth company aiming for an IPO. I brought disciplined thinking and food innovation focus to the marketing team, elevating "inside-out" sampling strategies and creating cost-effective new dishes to complement their bestselling but expensive Orange Chicken.
During our "Taste of China" promotion featuring chicken and asparagus in black bean sauce, our procurement head informed me of an asparagus blight that would double our costs. With asparagus already expensive and black bean sauce specially created for this promotion, we faced pressure to cancel everything. Instead, we pivoted quickly to chicken and broccoli with black bean sauce-broccoli was already a staple ingredient, and we could use our existing black bean sauce inventory. This crisis not only demonstrated my ability to balance strategic thinking with detailed problem-solving but also strengthened relationships with our operations team.
For Panda to execute a credible IPO, we needed a strong growth story beyond mall locations. I was charged with creating a "street store" concept that could compete with local Chinese restaurants while innovating with delivery and drive-thru options. My vision was completely different: restaurants with limited seating and combination platters for dine-in, but primarily focused on takeout with future delivery and drive-thru capabilities. Despite initial resistance, I worked closely with operations experts, real estate specialists, and the Cherng family to develop and test the concept.
Successful innovation always starts at the core: the main equity of the existing company or brand, or the key problem you're trying to solve. Become insightful about your business and profitability levers. Be perceptive about what differentiates your brand from competitors. For Panda Express, the great-tasting food and employee-powered experience were core. We changed everything else in the street stores while preserving these essential differentiators.
Chapter 6
Nintendo Comes Calling: Transforming a Legacy Brand
Despite my successes at VH1, I struggled with not controlling the channel's direction. I'd always led transformational projects in previous roles, but at VH1 my responsibilities were more supportive. When my mentor John Sykes was promoted to CEO of Infinity Broadcasting, I began exploring opportunities across various industries, leading to a late summer call from a Nintendo recruiter seeking their next head of sales and marketing.
Nintendo faced serious challenges when they approached me. Their GameCube was being overwhelmed by Sony's PlayStation 2, which had multiple advantages: backwards compatibility with original PlayStation games, low-cost disc-based technology (versus Nintendo's cartridges), and built-in DVD functionality at competitive pricing. By 2003, both GameCube and Xbox each sold less than one-third of PlayStation 2's volume. While Nintendo dominated the handheld market with Game Boy Advance, Sony had just announced their PlayStation Portable, threatening Nintendo's most profitable business segment.
Despite nearly unanimous advice from mentors against joining Nintendo, I saw something different. As a lifelong gamer, I recognized Nintendo's unique strengths in innovation and quality franchises like Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda. I believed the gaming industry would grow significantly as younger generations matured with disposable income and eventually shared their passion with their own children.
I nearly derailed my appointment by requesting a videoconference with Nintendo's global president Satoru Iwata-an unprecedented request that caused internal controversy. However, I knew that to lead sales and marketing effectively, I needed to understand the company's direction and establish a relationship with its leadership. Our scheduled 30-minute call ran much longer, with Iwata speaking directly without a translator. He explained Nintendo's philosophy of creating unique experiences rather than following competitors and invited me to Kyoto to see how they would continue to innovate-convincing me I could work with his visionary leadership and help transform Nintendo of America.
Upon joining Nintendo, I immediately scheduled comprehensive business reviews across all elements of the sales and marketing division. My dual purpose was to learn the business from my new team's expertise while simultaneously engaging with the people. I invited every team member to these reviews, always introducing myself last to emphasize that I valued their input and wanted to learn from everyone.
Chapter 7
Kicking Ass and Taking Names: Redefining Nintendo's Image
After seeing the Nintendo DS prototype, I focused on preparing for E3, the massive industry event where company reputations were made or broken. Analyzing Nintendo's lackluster 2002 and 2003 presentations, I identified the lack of a unifying message and compelling narrative as key weaknesses.
I approached E3 presentations as narratives-journeys that start with impact and end with even bigger moments, carefully pacing to maintain audience engagement. Questioning past presentation choices like opening with dry statistics instead of exciting games, I partnered with Don Varyu, a former journalist and senior executive at our PR agency who understood both the industry and company deeply.
With three months until E3 2004, Don and I crafted messaging for our press conference and retailer event. We had strong content to showcase-new games in the Metroid Prime, Star Fox and Paper Mario franchises, partner titles like Resident Evil 4, a secret Zelda trailer, and the Nintendo DS reveal. Learning from past conferences, we focused on games-Nintendo's greatest strength-while taking a more competitive stance against other console makers. Don pitched my opening line: "My name is Reggie. I'm about kicking ass and taking names. And I'm about making games!"
When Mr. Iwata and Mr. Minagawa arrived from Kyoto, I emphasized our need to engage existing fans while broadening our message to other gamers and changing the conversation with media already biased against Nintendo. After hearing my proposed opening lines, Mr. Iwata remained silent, studying their implications. When Mr. Minagawa asked why I was "so angry," I explained this wasn't anger but conviction about Nintendo's different path. Mr. Iwata ultimately supported the approach, acknowledging Nintendo needed more aggressive messaging to receive proper credit for its industry advances.
During on-site rehearsals, we realized my line "I'm about making games" wasn't working-I wasn't a developer but a businessman. The day before the presentation, we changed it to "My name is Reggie. I'm about kicking ass. I'm about taking names. And we're about making games." This subtle shift from "I'm" to "we're" acknowledged that Nintendo and its partners, not me personally, were the game creators.
As the presentation began with a theatrical video culminating in our mantra "We make games worth playing," I delivered my opening lines to increasing applause. The crowd erupted when I revealed the Nintendo DS and when Mr. Miyamoto appeared with a sword and shield after the Zelda trailer. During a break after the presentation, my fourteen-year-old son called to tell me I was "famous"-fans were photoshopping images of me with laser beams and weapons, nicknaming me "The Regginator" in reference to The Terminator.
Chapter 8
Disrupting the Game: Nintendo's Reinvention Strategy
Following E3 and the Nintendo DS unveiling, we faced criticism about the prototype's clunky design and small screens, especially compared to Sony's PlayStation Portable. Within two months, we improved the DS design and received better reception. I lobbied for Americas to launch first to leverage Black Friday-unprecedented as Japan typically launched systems first with preferential production allocation. When development of Metroid Prime Hunters fell behind, I convinced Mr. Iwata and Mr. Miyamoto to pivot to creating a stand-alone demo included with the first million DS units. The strategy worked-over one million units sold in the US during November-December 2004, exceeding global expectations.
We were playing a long game, wanting Nintendo DS and our next home console (code-named Revolution) to bring gaming to a mass audience. We believed game innovation had stalled and controllers had become too complicated. Our GameCube controller had eleven different buttons and triggers, while DS featured a streamlined layout with touchscreen and mic. This led to Nintendogs-a radical pet simulator without scoring objectives or set progression that particularly appealed to girls and young women.
Mr. Iwata and I, both voracious readers, used two business books to explain our strategy: The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen and Blue Ocean Strategy by Kim and Mauborgne. While competitors focused on realistic visuals and processing power, we believed innovating on ease of gameplay and accessibility could fundamentally change the market. The launch of Nintendogs validated our approach, becoming the second highest-selling DS game and expanding Nintendo's base to younger kids and girls.
At the 2005 Tokyo Game Show, we revealed our next home console's innovative controller-a TV remote-like device with motion sensing technology that anyone could pick up and play. Shortly after, we unveiled the system's official name: Wii-pronounced "we" to emphasize inclusiveness and chosen because it could be pronounced in any language.
One of my first key decisions as NOA president involved Wii's launch planning. Mr. Iwata and I quickly agreed to launch in the Americas first to capitalize on Black Friday, but we disagreed about bundling Wii Sports with the console. "Nintendo does not give away precious content for free," Mr. Iwata initially insisted. I argued that Wii Sports perfectly demonstrated the Wii Remote's capabilities and could expand our customer base beyond traditional gamers. After months of negotiations, we convinced them to include Wii Sports with Wii in Western markets while selling it separately in Japan.
This created a perfect test case: Wii broke records globally but performed best in Americas and Europe, where Wii Sports competitions emerged in bars, nursing homes, and cruise ships. The Wii Play bundle became the fifth best-selling game in Wii history. Both decisions proved courageous and correct.
Chapter 9
Legacy and Leadership: Lessons from a Gaming Pioneer
The video game industry demands near-constant innovation, with Nintendo of America typically launching over fifty new products annually. Hardware platforms need disruptive leaps approximately every seven years. By 2010, with Nintendo DS having sold over 100 million units, Nintendo was developing its next innovations.
As we discussed new innovations with developers, we identified three key consumer behaviors: the trend of always-connected consumers via Wi-Fi, growing desire for direct content downloads, and emerging interest in 3D video content. Despite Nintendo's complicated history with 3D technology (including Virtual Boy's commercial failure in 1995), advances in LCD screens, graphics processing, and chipsets finally enabled true 3D visuals without glasses, leading to the announcement of Nintendo 3DS.
While the 3DS launched strongly in early 2011, sales quickly slowed as only the most loyal fans purchased at the $249 price point. We ultimately executed a massive $90 price cut in late July, just four months after launch, taking the system to $169. To maintain loyalty among early adopters, we created the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Plan, offering them twenty free downloadable games. This decisive pivot cost Nintendo millions in profit but changed the system's trajectory, leading to massive holiday sales in 2011.
As we worked to fix Nintendo 3DS, we were simultaneously developing Wii's successor. For our new system, we envisioned seamless transition between TV and handheld play, ending the household battle for the main screen. These insights drove development of Nintendo Switch-a true hybrid console delivering beautiful TV experiences that could become completely portable.
The system launched in March 2017 after perfect execution of our marketing plan, including a product trailer, Jimmy Fallon reveal, and Super Bowl commercial. Priced at $299 with clear positioning and strong software, Switch exceeded our first sales goal by 50% and sold over 15 million units in its first year-eclipsing Wii U's entire six-year total to become the fastest-selling system in video game history.
While Switch's success was gratifying, the deeper lessons were about resilience and strategic focus. From 2013-2017, Nintendo faced numerous challenges: the slow start of Nintendo 3DS, maintaining relevance amid mobile gaming's rise, and Wii U's struggles. The key was failing forward-taking what worked from Wii U and applying it to Switch while ensuring great consumer value and steady game releases. Innovation requires resilience to overcome inevitable failures.
In February 2019, I announced my retirement, effective April 15. The timing was deliberate-Nintendo Switch was breaking records, software was selling at unprecedented levels, and we were delivering strong profitability. Most importantly, our organization was strong enough to promote from within. Doug Bowser, who had joined us four years earlier to head sales and later added marketing responsibilities, would be my successor.
My post-retirement vision statement became "to inspire and empower the next generation of leaders." This aligned perfectly when Cornell's Dyson School invited me to become their Leader in Residence, bringing me back to campus several times yearly to share leadership lessons through classroom instruction and campus-wide lectures.
These experiences have reinforced my belief in disruption's increasing value. Our world constantly changes-through business, climate, politics, or social justice-yet proposed solutions suffer from sameness and reliance on tired playbooks. We face huge, complex problems that won't be solved through traditional thinking or fear of doing something different. You need to disrupt the game. Select the right topics in your own orbit, be aggressive with new approaches, drive change. Disrupt the game.
