Wynns End America's Best Business Marriage

Now, I’ve never met Steve Wynn, but I’ve had a soft spot for the guy ever since reading Nora Ephron’s account of the fateful encounter between his right elbow and Picasso’s “Le Reve” (more on that in a bit). I’ve never met Elaine Wynn either, but she seems like a peach. I love this quote from a friend in Cathy Horyn’s 2006 New York Times profile: “She was like a willow, beautiful and blowing graciously toward her husband.” The point was that Elaine wasn’t like that anymore -- she had become a force in her own right, and it was totally working for her. Just ask Steve (which Horyn did):

What a great couple! Not anymore, though. At the moment, in fact, the Wynns seems to be at war. Accusations and possible calumnies are being lobbed by both sides as Elaine campaigns to retain her seat on the Wynn Resorts board and Steve’s people try to thwart her. It’s a shame, because Elaine and Steve seem like nice people. They also may have been the greatest marital partnership in the history of American business -- and their fight is endangering that success.