You’ve probably heard it in a movie. Or maybe whispered in a high-stakes boardroom where the air feels thin and the coffee is expensive. Keep what you kill. It sounds barbaric. Honestly, it’s a bit visceral. But in the world of high finance, law, and aggressive tech startups, it’s a living, breathing compensation model that dictates exactly who stays and who gets shown the door.
Most people associate the phrase with the 2004 cult classic The Chronicles of Riddick. In the film, it’s the law of the Necromongers: you kill the leader, you become the leader. In business, it’s less about physical combat and more about cold, hard revenue. If you bring in the client, you get the lion’s share of the fee. Simple. Ruthless. And lately? Surprisingly popular again.
The Brutal Reality of the Keep What You Kill Model
At its core, keep what you kill is a compensation structure where an individual’s pay is directly tied to the revenue they personally generate, minus their share of the overhead. It’s the antithesis of the "all for one" corporate bucket where everyone gets a bonus because the company had a "solid year."
In a traditional law firm or a medical practice, this is often called the "eat what you kill" model.
It’s meritocracy at its most extreme. You aren't paid for your potential. You aren't paid because you have an MBA from Wharton. You’re paid because you closed the deal. Period. This creates an environment where high performers thrive and "dead wood"—people who coast on the efforts of others—simply cannot survive. It’s an incredibly efficient way to run a business if you don't mind a little bit of internal friction. Or a lot.
Why the Tech Downturn Revived This Mentality
For a long time, the corporate world moved toward collaboration. We had open-plan offices, "culture fits," and shared goals. But when the economy gets shaky, the vibe shifts. Suddenly, companies care less about how well you play with others and more about whether you’re actually bringing in money.
During the "ZIRP" (Zero Interest Rate Policy) era, firms could afford to carry people. Now? Not so much.
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Venture capital firms and private equity groups are increasingly looking at "keep what you kill" metrics to trim the fat. They want to see exactly which partners are generating "Alpha" and which ones are just attending meetings. It’s a return to a more mercenary style of management. Some people find it terrifying. Others find it liberating. If you’re the best at what you do, why should your paycheck be diluted by someone who spent their afternoon "ideating" at the snack bar?
The Psychological Toll of Constant Competition
It isn't all fat checks and victory laps. There’s a dark side. When you work in a keep what you kill environment, your colleagues are your competitors.
Think about it. If you and the person in the next office are both chasing the same whale of a client, are you going to help them? Probably not. This leads to information hoarding. It leads to silos. In some extreme cases, it leads to sabotage.
I've talked to recruiters in Big Law who say the "eat what you kill" system is the number one cause of burnout. You can never stop. If you take a month off for a vacation or a health issue, your "kill" count drops to zero. Your income follows. It’s a treadmill that only goes faster. The stress isn’t just about the work; it’s about the constant realization that your value is reset to zero every single quarter.
Misconceptions: It’s Not Just for Salespeople
People think this is just a fancy word for "commission." It's not.
Commission is usually a percentage on top of a base salary. Keep what you kill is often much more holistic. In many hedge funds, a portfolio manager might have a very low base—or no base at all—and their entire livelihood depends on the "carry" or the performance fee of the assets they manage.
- Law Firms: Partners keep a huge percentage of their billable hours after paying for the lease and the paralegals.
- Real Estate: High-end brokers often operate on a pure split where the firm provides the brand, but the broker provides the pulse.
- Surgical Groups: Some private practices distribute profit based strictly on the number of procedures each surgeon performs.
It’s a system designed to attract "A-players" who are confident—maybe even arrogant—about their ability to outperform the market. It filters for a specific type of personality. If you need a "safe" environment, you’ll hate it here.
The Structural Problems Nobody Talks About
While it sounds fair on paper, the system is often rigged by legacy.
In many firms, the "senior" partners keep what they killed twenty years ago. They own the relationships. They sit on the accounts. A junior person might do 90% of the work, but because the senior partner "brought in" the client in 1998, they take the "kill."
This creates a massive generational divide. It’s why you see so many "breakaway" firms in the news. A group of talented 30-somethings realizes they are the ones doing the killing, but the old guard is doing the keeping. So, they leave. They start their own shop. They implement their own version of the rule. And the cycle repeats.
Is This Right For Your Business?
If you’re a founder or a manager thinking about moving to this model, you need to be careful. It’s like a drug. It provides an immediate burst of productivity, but the long-term side effects are a shredded culture.
You lose the "we." You lose the brand.
If everyone is out for themselves, who is looking out for the company’s reputation? Who is training the interns? Usually, nobody. Why would you train your future replacement?
However, if you are in a pure growth phase and you need to scale revenue yesterday, there is no better motivator. It turns your staff into a pack of wolves. Just don't be surprised when they start looking at you as prey if the leads dry up.
Actionable Steps for Navigating a Keep What You Kill Culture
If you find yourself entering an environment that operates on these rules, you can't just work hard. You have to work smart.
Own the Relationship, Not Just the Work
The person who talks to the client is the one who "kills." If you are stuck in the back office doing the spreadsheets while someone else takes the lunches, you are a tool, not a hunter. You need to get in front of the money.
Watch Your Overhead
In these models, you are often charged for "firm expenses." Keep an eye on the math. If the firm is taking 50% of your revenue for "marketing" and "office space," and you aren't seeing the value, you're being exploited.
Build a War Chest
Because your income will be volatile, you cannot live like a person with a steady salary. You need a six-month "life" fund. You will have lean months where you don't "kill" anything. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, the pressure will cause you to make bad, desperate decisions.
Negotiate Your Exit Early
In a keep what you kill world, you need to know what happens to your "kills" if you leave. Do the clients stay with the firm? Do they go with you? This should be in your contract from day one. Don't wait until you're angry to read the fine print.
The world is moving away from participation trophies. Whether we like it or not, the "keep what you kill" mentality is a response to a more competitive, globalized economy where results are the only currency that doesn't devalue. It's not for everyone. It’s probably not even for most people. But for the few who can handle the heat, it's the fastest way to the top.