Applying Renaissance Strategy Today Five centuries after Machiavelli wrote The Prince and The Discourses, his insights remain startlingly relevant to contemporary politics, business, and personal strategy. This enduring relevance stems not from Machiavelli’s prescience about specific technologies or institutions but from his focus on permanent features of human nature and power dynamics. Whether in Silicon Valley boardrooms, Washington corridors, or personal career decisions, Machiavellian principles continue to describe how power actually works as opposed to how we wish it worked. The fundamental Machiavellian insight is that effective action requires understanding reality rather than ideals. Political actors who believe people are...