Gorman to Bonus Whiners: STFU or GTFO

Bloomberg tracked down Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman at Davos yesterday, and the conversation inevitably turned to the reduced comp at the bank. Gorman was unapologetic and said the $125,000 cash bonus cap and reduced all-in comp merely reflected the new realities of the market and that those who believed otherwise were "naive". He also made the point that someone who defines his overall happiness with his year-end number has bigger problems than the job, and that those who are really pissed about reduced bonuses should just quit because, "life's too short". The whole interview is really good, but if all you're interested in is the talk on compensation, that starts at 6:13.

24 Comments
 

To put it in context....he was speaking about anyone who was mad at one years bonus number. He is right though, everyone know whats going in the market and honestly we should want more people to be pissed off and leave cause that leaves us more seats :)

Beast
 
Flakehttp://dealbreaker.com/2012/01/james-gorman-to-morgan-stanley-employees…

I sense a conspiracy Eddie.

Holy shit. I think that's the first time that's happened in over three years. Looks like Bess titled hers first, should I change mine?

EDIT: OK, her's is a little different than mine. I guess I'll leave it alone. Must be the true sentiment of the interview if we both came to the same conclusion though, huh?

 

Since it's impossible for finance types to reconcile how their complaints are any different than the rest of the country (and no, I'm not talking about OWS) this shit will continue to fly. Gorman is a piece of shit, let him choke on a dick. As for the rest of us: YOU'RE A FUCKING NUMBER IN THIS MACHINE, get over it.

You boss is an asshole, get yours, get out. It's that simple. This is true at every job.

Get busy living
 

Best quote from the comments:

There used to be an unspoken deal. Do the job, keep your head down, generate profits and the firm will take care of you at year end. Well the deal doesn't exist anymore become the little man in charge doesn't have the integrity to keep management's side of the bargain. It's great to see him in the press telling all the hard working people at MS to sftu or gtfo. At some point I hope all the hard working dedicated employees who have to pay rent, feed the family and pay the bills get the message...the little man doesn't care if you starve. He just doesn't want to hear you moan as he walks on your bodies.
I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 
Edmundo BravermanNo worries. I'm just a Bess Levin fanboi (although I obviously don't follow DB as closely as I used to or this would have never happened).
Dude, can you get Bess Levin on NSFW?
Get busy living
 
UFOinsider
Edmundo BravermanNo worries. I'm just a Bess Levin fanboi (although I obviously don't follow DB as closely as I used to or this would have never happened).
Dude, can you get Bess Levin on NSFW?
Stop trying to outsource my job, you hoe.
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

I don't know if that would work, as intriguing as the idea is. Bess is 100% up on Wall Street gossip and I'm not, and I've got the Street background but she doesn't. I think it would be a hoot, but I wouldn't blame her if she didn't see the potential synergy. Plus video is a whole different world and she might not want or need to be exposed in that way (I, conversely, enjoy exposing myself).

 
Edmundo BravermanHappy, if you're serious check with your compliance department and then PM me. We can definitely give it a shot.
Will do, though I don't plan on doing it without something to keep my identity relatively elusive.
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 
Best Response

Cum error ut aperiam vero. Voluptatem similique excepturi et et. Rem est autem dicta numquam natus eveniet.

Non voluptas distinctio deleniti molestiae dolores. Ipsa nemo maxime odit delectus asperiores qui dolorem. Sunt blanditiis maiores nemo. Odit voluptas explicabo dolorem. Sunt eligendi tempore voluptas temporibus iusto sunt. Eum eaque dignissimos mollitia perferendis facilis. Ipsa rerum deleniti consequuntur qui sint sunt.

Ut nostrum eos neque est iste. Error a delectus quae harum ipsam voluptatibus omnis optio. Ut est aut blanditiis quia aspernatur ut.

 

Aut dolore recusandae non minima. Nulla architecto magni consequuntur aliquam autem. Eaque mollitia excepturi consequuntur omnis. Similique et ab molestiae est et. Quidem atque mollitia suscipit aliquid temporibus.

Enim adipisci quia quasi ad assumenda. Sequi itaque asperiores sed non et. Praesentium saepe eum placeat sit vitae. Autem nostrum veritatis ut suscipit enim. Rem natus rerum non adipisci soluta eos cumque. Cumque voluptatem possimus culpa voluptatem sed. Rerum non autem nihil quasi odio laboriosam voluptates repellat.

Fugiat nisi officia facilis minima. Quis porro asperiores ratione impedit. Et hic doloribus vel voluptas ipsa unde. Nostrum quo eos quis impedit nisi. Inventore veritatis molestiae qui molestiae qui quod. Velit omnis quasi distinctio dicta molestiae voluptas earum.

Quibusdam quia eum sed saepe. Tempora vel veniam deserunt voluptas ab rerum. Et perferendis iste explicabo ipsa provident dolorem architecto.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”