It seems everyday there is a reference to Gordon Gekko on this site and every other member has a picture of him as their profile pic. However, what did Gekko exactly do...I mean he wasn't a banker and not exactly a trader. So, what was his official job title/role? Was he simply a CEO of a Asset Management/investment fund? I always thought his character was interesting since he did a little bit of everything (RE acquisitions, buyouts, trading).
Apr 24, 2013
Trending Content - Off Topic Forum
| +69 | We need to do something about the debt, now. | 20 | 49m |
| +1 | Where are the Granola Girls? | 5 | 22h |
Career Resources
Career Advancement Opportunities
August 2026 Investment Banking
-
Evercore 01 99.5%
-
Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
-
JPMorgan 01 98.4%
-
Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
-
Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%
Overall Employee Satisfaction
August 2026 Investment Banking
-
Moelis & Company No 99.5%
-
Evercore No 98.9%
-
Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
-
Banco Santander 02 97.8%
-
BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%
Professional Growth Opportunities
August 2026 Investment Banking
-
Evercore 01 99.5%
-
Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
-
Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
-
Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
-
JPMorgan No 97.3%
Total Avg Compensation
August 2026 Investment Banking
-
Vice President (16) $429
-
Associates (50) $259
-
3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
-
2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
-
Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
-
1st Year Analyst (84) $151
-
Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
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 |  |
99.2 |
| 2 | |
99.0 |
| 3 | |
99.0 |
| 4 | |
99.0 |
| 5 | |
98.9 |
| 6 |  |
98.9 |
| 7 |  |
98.9 |
| 8 | |
98.9 |
| 9 | |
98.9 |
| 10 | |
98.8 |
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship
“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”
Founder and Partner of Gekko & Co. A private equity fund. He traded on inside info, and was a real estate investor on the side.
In the second movie, he opens a hedge fund in London with the $100MM he "stole" from his daughter's trust fund, because he was banned from trading in the U.S.
Private equity does not get involved in hostile mergers, so Gordon could not have run a PE fund.
80's were a different time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Gekko#Fictional_biography
That's all the info you get.
Didn't even notice until today that Gekko did not go to Harvard. Can you believe that ? That's why he went to jail.
I haven't watched the movie in years, but didn't he specifically shit on ivy leaguers, saying that they all want to kiss his ass now, but didn't give me the time of day before he made it big?
He was the CEO of the Gekko & Co investment fund that focused on equities. The fund ran a combination of general equity trading, event driven and private equities strategies, although the strategies were more hostile takeover based and less the refined PE strategies we see today with individual funds that focus strictly on buying companies, LPs, 5-7 year investment horizons, etc.
In the film, you see him employing the hostile takeover strategies in his acquisition of Teldar Paper and Bluestar. You also here Bud Fox mention other deals Gekko has been apart of including the Melcore deal.
With the Anacott steal deal and the insider trading that Bud Fox uses throughout the film you see a variety of risk arb trading strategies, to see which M&A deals will be completed, and trading on different companies earnings announcements.
The script itself was edited by actual investment bankers and traders (which explains the great degree of accuracy in the film and why the second film was so weak). Oliver Stone created Gekko as a combination of several real life financiers who were "Kings of the Street" at the time including Ivan Boesky (risk arb), Milken (king of junk financing), and the slew of corporate raiders who first popped up before PE became a more white glove business.
You also see Bud Fox buying Eurodollar futures which implies that they weren't strictly equities based, but I don't believe we ever saw Gekko talk about something that wasn't equities based.
corporate raider
Hey doesn't the syndicate meeting for Blue Star pretty much sum it up that he was in private equity. You know where Bud Fox finds out they are going to gut the company. I thought the whole point of that scene, besides revealing Gekko to Bud, was to show what Gekko actually did.
gordon gekko = carl icahn
a fictional character
What would you say,... you do here??
yeah, in the movie Gekko was definitely a combination of multiple financiers. What I thought was funny was in the second movie when Shia Lebouf was a trader, but was also an investment banker on the side raising money for some random laser company lol.
The best part of WSII was when he collected his personal belongings before stepping out of prison, showing the bigass cell phone. The rest was pure rubbish.
I still keep quite a few "gekko shirts" though. They were classic.
I thought the tulipmania picture was decent and enjoyed seeing Gekko buying bespoke (or was it made to measure? I can't remember) but ya...that movie sucked
Carey Mulligan sucks
Considering the level of detail and accuracy I posted, how are people still posting?
I would know, don't you think......
He sat in his office all day with a cigarette in mouth and blood pressure cuff on his arm ordering around that sloth Ollie.
Dolorem totam et molestiae mollitia aliquam recusandae. Temporibus beatae culpa id repudiandae beatae. Blanditiis quia repellendus doloremque nostrum. Id illum autem facilis quidem. Officiis qui itaque deleniti rem modi. Quo quia et omnis.
Temporibus qui perspiciatis qui fuga quia. Minus vitae at ratione omnis et recusandae odit. Ullam consequuntur eum in quasi. Voluptatem dolorem aut pariatur cumque vitae aut omnis.
Necessitatibus voluptas sunt quasi quos reprehenderit aliquam in. Impedit id iure dolorum quisquam aut mollitia sequi.
Fugit tempora aut ratione vero est doloremque. Aperiam pariatur omnis atque tenetur quasi. Fuga quia harum deleniti dolorem ut.
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...
Aut occaecati officiis sint. Doloremque ipsam rerum autem ipsum blanditiis asperiores. Veritatis explicabo reprehenderit ipsa beatae dolore et natus. Doloribus nihil corporis reiciendis soluta. Animi sequi quia optio totam quam sapiente. Perferendis et enim ullam. Sit quis quod fugit.
Eveniet molestiae velit accusamus quis et ab. Provident ut consequatur omnis numquam. Optio voluptatibus repudiandae non aliquam a ut. Qui aut molestias dolores pariatur. Provident perspiciatis earum alias. Odit porro commodi rem maxime quo a ab.
Ducimus et accusamus et doloribus assumenda dolorum dolorum. Dolores minima dicta est consequatur non vel facilis. Esse quo enim qui possimus quia. Tenetur dolorem voluptatibus et nulla at incidunt similique.