Is it the golden age of shutting the fuck up about finance on public transportation?
Hey monkeys!
Today I was heading up to midtown on the subway sitting next to a buddy. He was loudly talking about private credit and banking bonuses. He practically yelled, “Yeah 110k bonus this year, not bad, not great,” while a literal homeless man sat next to us.
Since the convo sounded bratty, I tried to change the subject to sports, but like a fucking chess grandmaster, he instantly found the winning move, pivoting the conversation to sports PE and how continuation vehicles are a “blessing to the world.” I was so embarrassed.
Everyone was hatefully glaring at us. If the word “hate” was engraved on each nano-angstrom of the subway, it would not equal one one-billionth of the hate they felt towards us at that micro-instant.
Anyways, got me thinking, is it the golden age of shutting the fuck up about finance on public transportation?
Nice I Have No Mouth reference
I have no excel and I must LBO
Money can't buy you class.
What ever happened to good-manners?
If you put that scene in a movie or a book people would probably complain of it being unrealistic.
Everyone glaring at you is right. It's rule number one: you don't talk about bonuses and private equity in public if you don't want to be the most hated person in the room.
I made the mistake of mentioning my bonus at an Arby's back when I was an assistant branch manager at the Wells Fargo - Anchorage branch.
While waiting for my food, I was calling my friend and mentioned that management got me a $100 gift card for my efforts. While I didn't think anything of it, I didn't realize there was a fisherman behind me. The salmon hadn't been as plentiful that season, so they were all struggling.
I walked back out to find my car keyed and windows smashed - he had broken in to steal the $100 gift card. It is never worth the risk to tell people about your success.
The literary talents of finance bros is simply wasted in FO
This is moronic, does the guy have an inkling of common sense? The only people who know my comp are my wife and my parents. And I've only told them in private
What a clown
Working in finance and taking public transportation... oof
How much do you want to bet Warren Buffett hasn't ridden the subway for at least half a century?
Relatable. My doctor rides the bus yet I need to trust his advice. smh
So you didn’t tell your boy he’s being a goofy cornball, but you come on here to complain about him?
"I have fashion friends"
The best operators I know never talk about finance. They talk about customers, problems, and execution. Finance is just the scorecard, not the game.
There's a big difference between being in the business of money and being in the business of building. The first one is a job. The second one is a calling.If you're passionate about what you do, you're not talking about your bonus on the subway. You're talking about the problem you're solving. Just my thoughts ;)
It’s funny because the only thing finance bro knows about growing a business is just acquiring other companies. When if you talk to real operators, you’ll be stunned by how much they know about growth. Just another example of how different finance is from business.
I think this comes from the old way of doing business... 30 years ago, people who were running businesses had all the same story : high school, finance, ... Nowadays, 80% of people running successful businesses come from pure operations and scale, and they learn finance along the way. The disconnection is blatant, as pure financial people seems to be totally disconnected on how we build and scale and business in today's world and people who built in the trenches can be amazed by the level of procrastination and non reliable data financial ( bankers mainly) look at when they consider investing or supporting a business.
I do not say pure finance people know nothing about today's businesses, and they probably have tremendous analytical capacities, but probably more disconnected from what the real market is in 2026.
Smh, VCs still buy this crap from operators / founders? Everyone wants financial stability and lets not pretend money doesn't rule everything around us (shoutout to the Wu Tang clan).
Good point. there are a lot of founders that are failing, but the ones who develop and scale understand deeply how money works. They know how to cut expenses ( even if the usual framework would scream to keep it ), because they understand that it's not this that is moving the niddle .
Don't get me wrong, good professionals are on both sides, but ask me to choose between a founder that built, failed, learned, built again, failed and then succeeded and a pure corporate finance guy , i will choose 100% of the time the founder.
You genuinely sound like a Linkedin NPC
Wait till this guy hears about the Metro North Railroad where the MD's openly flip through decks on the train lol
Placeat et et harum esse fuga consequuntur. Nihil eveniet amet velit qui et aut et. Asperiores assumenda libero cum explicabo eum similique.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Omnis quia eaque saepe. In saepe est ipsam dolor cupiditate aut. Amet reiciendis sit quia perferendis. Quia eius ipsam fugiat velit velit magnam.
Blanditiis delectus harum perferendis necessitatibus corrupti. Ut porro veniam odio laboriosam tempore soluta. Maiores qui non nostrum quos aspernatur qui expedita. Voluptas minus vel voluptatem quibusdam non odio repellat vitae. Occaecati quibusdam unde quaerat dolor odio. Nihil quae deserunt non dolorem suscipit cum.