American Express - The Trillion Dollar Money Machine

Released in 2024, American Express - The Trillion Dollar Money Machine charts the 174-year evolution of American Express from a 1850s freight-express company into one of the world’s most prestigious financial brands, with over $1.8 trillion in annual purchase volume. The documentary follows its transformation under legendary CEOs (Howard Clark, Harvey Golub, Ken Chenault, and Stephen Squeri), the creation of the iconic charge card in 1958, the launch of the exclusive Centurion “Black Card,” aggressive battles with the Visa/Mastercard duopoly, antitrust defeats that forced acceptance of competitors’ cards, and Amex’s pivot to premium rewards and global high-net-worth clientele. Featuring archival footage and interviews with former executives, merchants, and regulators, it reveals how American Express turned prestige and trust into a trillion-dollar closed-loop payments empire.