Jean-Marie Messier (born December 13, 1956, in Grenoble, France) is a prominent French businessman who served as CEO of Vivendi (later Vivendi Universal) from 1994/1995 to 2002, overseeing aggressive expansions in media, telecommunications, and entertainment through major acquisitions and mergers. After graduating from prestigious institutions including École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, and HEC Paris, he began his career in finance at Banque Rothschild before joining Vivendi in 1989 and rising to leadership. His tenure transformed the company into Vivendi Universal through high-profile deals such as the purchase of Seagram (which brought Universal Studios and PolyGram under Vivendi's umbrella), aiming to create a global multimedia empire. This strategy led to massive debt accumulation, with the company's market value soaring to over €100 billion at its peak in 2000 before plummeting. Messier's downfall came in 2002 amid a severe financial crisis marked by accounting irregularities, overleveraged expansions, and allegations of mismanagement. He was ousted as chairman and CEO on July 2, 2002, following shareholder revolt and regulatory scrutiny. The scandal, often dubbed the 'Vivendi affair,' resulted in legal battles including charges of misleading investors and stock manipulation. In 2004, he was fined €1 million by the French stock market regulator AMF and later convicted in 2011 for disseminating false information, receiving a suspended prison sentence and additional fines. Despite these setbacks, Messier has since maintained a lower profile, occasionally commenting on business and media through writings and interviews. He is frequently nicknamed 'J2M' or 'J6M' and satirized as 'The Man Who Tried to Buy the World' for his audacious corporate ambitions, which became a cautionary tale of hubris in the dot-com era.