The atmosphere in the briefing room was tense. The young employees watched in alarm as their boss stalked around the room issuing orders, his eyes filled with a fierce rage.

As the meeting drew to a close, he hit them with a veiled threat: "I'll see some of you next week". It was enough to make even the most confident quake.

Now, the tables have turned. This weekend, one story dominated the UK's headlines: the downfall of Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson's bully-in-chief, and the man who made the threat above. The PM's chief adviser left Downing St on Friday bearing a cardboard box.

Perhaps best known for his lockdown trip to DurhamCummings was widely condemned after it emerged that he had travelled from London to Durham with his family during lockdown when his wife had coronavirus symptoms. The PM said he acted "reasonably and legally"., the country's de-facto project manager rose to prominence as the mastermind behind the successful Vote Leave campaign during Britain's EU referendum.

But Cummings is more than just a strategist - he is also a big thinker; a behind-the-scenes maverick with radical ideas.

In an astonishing 133,000-word blog post inspired by Silicon ValleyA global centre of technological innovation in Northern California. It is home to many start-up and global technology companies including Apple, Facebook and Google. start-ups, he set out his vision for Britain as a hub of science and education, a place where intelligent people trained in everything from statistical modelling to synthetic biologyIn 2010, scientists created the first man-made organism (a cattle bacterium) and are working on designing synthetic lifeforms that can detect poison, clear up oil spills, kill cancer cells, and build electric circuits. can rule unconstrained by the red tapeOfficial rules and processes that are unnecessary and delay results. of bureaucracy.

And it seems that Cummings will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

He once had a female adviser marched out of Downing Street by armed police; fired people who dared to confront him over his behaviour. He has been publicly described by colleagues as "a mutant virus" and a "career psychopath".

Many people believe it is impossible to rise to the top without being a bully.

Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first female Prime Minister, terrified foreign politicians - French President Francois Mitterand famously said she had "the eyes of Caligula".

In 2008, UK Apprentice star Alan Sugar, best known for the line "You're fired", was condemned by an anti-bullying charity for "publicly humiliating" contestants.

Many powerful figures appear to have adopted the strategy of the 15th Century Romanian ruler, Vlad III, who had his enemies impaled on stakes - and later became the model for Dracula.

Yet these egomaniac monsters contrast sharply with the content of a new autobiography written by former US President Barack Obama, which is predicted to become one of the best-selling books of all time when it is published tomorrow.

In A Promised Land, Obama, formerly one of the most powerful people on the planet, is full of self-doubt.

He wonders if running for office was an act of self-indulgence, accepts his failures as a husband, and mourns his mistakes.

The book paints a picture of a leader who, far from tearing other people down, is concerned with their success. He intervenes when female employees complain of sexism and refuses to scapegoat his inner circle when things go wrong.

And when he wins the Nobel prizeOne of a set of prizes, laid out in the will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, given each year to people who "have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind". , he remains as humble as ever, asking incredulously: "For what?"

Definitely, say some. Barack Obama is an exception. The vast majority of people in positions of power today - from politicians to business executives to pop stars - owe their success to their willingness to bully other people until they get their way. Dominic Cummings may have left Downing Street, but the culture of fear that exists at the top of many organisations is here to stay.

Not any more, say others. It is true that in the past some had no choice but to bully their way to the top. But workplaces have evolved. They are more diverse, more tolerant - and less dominated by men. Dominic Cummings's departure, which many believe was influenced by the PM's partner Carrie Symonds, shows that bullying is no longer the key to holding on to power.