Coca-Cola’s GC Fiasco: The Takedown of an Audacious Black Lawyer

As spectacle, the Oscars were a dud in my opinion. Much more captivating is the drama at Coca-Cola—namely, what happened to Bradley Gayton, its erstwhile general counsel who suddenly got bumped out of his post? One minute, he was Coke’s star hire, lauded for his bodacious ideas, then, eight months after joining the company, he’s toast.

Granted, we don’t officially know what happened (Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey issued a “thank you for your service”—literally using that term—statement about Gayton’s departure) but it sure looks like the company paid big bucks to push him out. And the going rate for getting ...