Editor’s note: I do not know what readers will make of this. Perhaps Suneel has a mind of his own. He was asked to do a critique of Keith Raniere’s biography and was taunted by Bangkok, who claimed he would not be able to say anything negative about it. And lo and behold, Suneel not only accepted the challenge, his critique of Raniere’s online bio is anything but flattering. This naturally begs the question, if Suneel is indeed brainwashed, how can he criticize the man who brainwashed him?
Suneel Chakravorty
In the post on FrankReport, “Is Suneel a Textbook Cult-Follower, Mentally Incapable of Criticizing Raniere’s Personal Behavior?”, Pious Bangkok challenged me to critically review Keith’s biography.
This biography has come under a lot of criticism and people have used it to claim that Keith Raniere is narcissistic and dishonest.
I have never heard him make any of these claims in person or in any recorded videos, but I recognize that he allowed this biography to be online for over a decade.
Let’s take a look at it.
Below is his biography, taken from a snapshot of KeithRaniere.com from Dec 3, 2004.
Executive Success Programs – Keith Raniere, co-founder of Executive Success Programs, Inc. (ESP), is a scientist, mathematician, philosopher, and entrepreneur. An unusually gifted individual, Mr. Raniere’s unique abilities were evident at a very early age. Among them:
He spoke in full sentences by the age of one was reading by the age of two
At the age of eleven, he was an Eastern Coast Judo Champion.
At age 12, he taught himself high school mathematics in less than a day and taught himself three years of college mathematics by age 13.
He plays many musical instruments and taught himself to play piano at a concert level by age 12
He was entered in the Guinness Book of World Records for “Highest IQ” in 1989.
He has been noted as one of top three problem-solvers in the world
He was a millionaire by the age of 30 and worth $50 million by the age of 32
Mr. Raniere is perhaps best known as the creator of Rational Inquiry™ – the transformational model at the center of Executive Success Programs’ trainings. Rational Inquiry™ is a science, based on the belief that the more consistent an individual’s beliefs and behavior patterns are, the more successful they will be in everything they do. The invention, which Mr. Raniere laid the groundwork for as a teenager, is considered by many to be one of most dramatic developments in the field of human potential today.
But despite his extraordinary talents and accomplishments, what often strikes people most about Mr. Raniere is how down to earth he is. He has the unique ability to relate to virtually anyone, and is known by his friends as a prankster extraordinaire.
My Analysis
I would tell Keith that this is a preposterous biography because it contains unsubstantiated claims, comes across as strange and arrogant, and does not include any of his relevant achievements.
I don’t know why he allowed this to be on his personal website for over a decade.
Let’s go point-by-point.
“Keith Raniere, co-founder of Executive Success Programs, Inc. (ESP), is a scientist, mathematician, philosopher, and entrepreneur. An unusually gifted individual, Mr. Raniere’s unique abilities were evident at a very early age.”
I think this introductory paragraph comes across as boastful and sophomoric. One usually does not self-describe as “unusually gifted” or having “unique abilities.” I don’t think such claims should be on a personal website.
It is also imprecise. Keith rightfully takes credit for being the co-founder of Executive Success Programs, Inc. (ESP), but the biography states he is a scientist, mathematician, philosopher, and entrepreneur without any providing definitions, credentials, or evidence.
“He spoke in full sentences by the age of one was reading by the age of two”
Even if this is true, I don’t think it belongs in a professional biography and probably strikes people as arrogant.
“At the age of eleven, he was an Eastern Coast Judo Champion.”
As above, I don’t think this claim belongs in his current biography. I don’t think it’s a rare accomplishment. I grew up knowing kids who became national TaeKwonDo champions, but I doubt they include that fact in their professional biographies. Finally, without specifics, this claim is meaningless. For example, how big is the district ‘Eastern Coast’? How many tournaments did he win and lose? How many participants were there in his division? Who did he defeat to become the champion?
“At age 12, he taught himself high school mathematics in less than a day and taught himself three years of college mathematics by age 13.”
Keith told me that because of his Waldorf education, he started math late and when he first looked at high school math books, he discovered he intuitively “got it.”
That is not an ordinary achievement, to be sure, but the claim feels to me like it’s trying to build the myth of Keith Raniere. I think there were better ways to showcase his mathematical skills.
“He plays many musical instruments and taught himself to play piano at a concert level by age 12”
I think “concert level” is a bit grandiose. It’s not a standardized term, so it could mean anything. It would be more humble, and more persuasive, with more details or videos of him playing.
I never saw Keith play when he was 12, of course. I have seen videos of him playing when he was in his forties or fifties. Based on the videos, in which he plays pieces like Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, it is my opinion that Keith is proficient and able to play serious repertoire.
By the way, I am a pianist as well and one time, when I spoke with him when he was in prison, Keith asked me what I thought of his piano playing in those videos. I told him candidly that his musicality was good but his technical execution was sloppy at times. He agreed with me.
Playing “many musical instruments” is imprecise. It would have been appropriate, and impressive, to list them all.
Does Keith Raniere play the English horn? His bio does not say.
“He was entered in the Guinness Book of World Records for “Highest IQ” in 1989.”
Keith Raniere appeared in the 1989 Australian edition of the Guinness Book of Records. To my knowledge, he did not appear in any other editions. That year, the editors of the Guinness Book of Records chose to retire the category.
His claim is true. If it were my biography, I would mention it too, but I would also cite the year and edition and provide a link to it.
“He has been noted as one of top three problem-solvers in the world”
I think this claim comes across as absurd. First, it does not mention where it was noted. As written, for the reader to believe this requires an extraordinary level of credulity. Also, because of the stigma of “cult” and “brainwashed,” anyone in the public who reads this claim may conclude that every student in ESP/NXIVM believed this claim, as stated, without any evidence. I would need to see the evidence before I would repeat this claim.
“He was a millionaire by the age of 30 and worth $50 million by the age of 32”
It is my understanding that this claim is about his net worth while he was operating a previous company, Consumers’ Buyline (CBI).
People might assume from this claim that Keith Raniere is still worth millions of dollars. To my knowledge, this is not true.
It does not mention that CBI closed down and ultimately was worth zero dollars.
Keith Raniere with Eddie Albert doing an infomercial for Consumers’ Buyline.
According to media reports and public filings, it was alleged in court to be a pyramid scheme, even though it was never officially determined to be a pyramid scheme. Ultimately, Keith and others entered into a consent order with the NY State Attorney General, “with no admission of wrongdoing,” a fine of $40,000, and a condition that Keith would be permanently banned from “promoting, offering or granting participation in a chain distribution scheme.”
It is my understanding that the reason CBI had to shut down was due to fallout from bad PR and mounting legal fees.
I think that not mentioning the ultimate collapse of CBI, in a claim meant to impress people with his wealth-building and entrepreneurial skill, was a serious omission.
“Mr. Raniere is perhaps best known as the creator of Rational Inquiry™ – the transformational model at the center of Executive Success Programs’ trainings. Rational Inquiry™ is a science based on the belief that the more consistent an individual’s beliefs and behavior patterns are, the more successful they will be in everything they do. The invention, which Mr. Raniere laid the groundwork for as a teenager, is considered by many to be one of most dramatic developments in the field of human potential today.”
The last sentence makes a vague, bold and unsubstantiated claim. It does not state who considers Rational Inquiry™ to be “one of the most dramatic developments in the field of human potential today.” It would have been more persuasive without the last sentence.
“But despite his extraordinary talents and accomplishments, what often strikes people most about Mr. Raniere is how down to earth he is. He has the unique ability to relate to virtually anyone, and is known by his friends as a prankster extraordinaire.”
I think a professional biography can showcase one’s personality, but subtly, with examples, and modesty. To me, the assertion of “extraordinary talents and accomplishments” comes across as pompous.
Also, I am puzzled as to why the remark about being a “prankster extraordinaire” was included.
To me, being a “prankster” is not a positive trait; it’s someone that has fun at other people’s expense. I don’t know if Keith is a “prankster extraordinaire” – I’ve only known him since he was in his prison. But say it’s true. It seems inappropriate and strange to put in a professional biography and certainly a bizarre way to end it.
Conclusion
In my opinion, this biography needs a lot of work. It should never have been published, let alone allowed to remain on the internet for a decade. The claims are unsubstantiated and tend to promote myth rather than fact. Depending on the truth of the CBI situation, it might also contain lies by omission.
I doubt that anyone was ever persuaded to take an ESP/NXIVM course because of this biography.
But does having such a ludicrous biography mean Keith is a despicable person?
The reason I am advocating for Keith is not because I believe he is a deity. Of course, he has flaws. But I don’t think he got justice, and that’s why I am here. And I will continue to tell it as I see it.
