John Galt

John Galt is the mysterious protagonist of Ayn Rand's novel *Atlas Shrugged*, a genius inventor who leads a strike of productive minds against a society that exploits them.

The phrase Who is John Galt? appears throughout the novel as an expression of hopelessness, though it has been adopted by libertarians and Rand admirers as a rallying cry for individualism and opposition to government intervention.

Calling someone a John Galt type suggests they see themselves as an exceptional producer held back by mediocrity.