I agree paxboy, not sure about the rejection thing but it is about beating the others business wise and probably personally. I actually know someone like that currently on a dizzy rise to the top in a slightly different aviation sector. You can guess who his business hero is. You will be hearing about him in due course. Oddly enough he is a pilot but shares MoL's attitude to pilots.
My close association with him has led to some insight into O'Leary. I suspect their personalities are comparable. Both are business pscyhopaths, both prone to litigation, both use people for their own ends and dispense with them without thought when no longer useful. Both are charismatic in person and deadly as enemies.
Neither will let go of their ambitions and will happily destroy their rivals.
Which leads me to believe that MoL will win this in the end. As for the other guy. He'll win too and I'm staying on for the ride.
They are not like the rest of us.