If Jamie Dimon fulfils the plan he announced this week, and remains chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase until 2023, he will have been at the helm for 17 years. That is still some way short of the near-half century racked up by John Pierpont Morgan, who founded the eponymous bank in 1871. But in this day and age, it is more than a fair innings.
To fend off criticism that he has no clear succession plan in place, Mr Dimon has promoted Gordon Smith and Daniel Pinto to the new roles of co-president and co-chief operating officer, inviting the assumption that one of them will take over from him. The five-year timeframe also appears designed to scotch rumours Mr Dimon could stand as a Democrat candidate for US president in 2020.
But on both counts, the mercurial Mr Dimon could yet surprise.