From all-star banker Frank Quattrone, buyout magnate Henry Kravis, to hedge fund legend Steve Cohen - there are always people we aspire to be or in the least look up to. If you had the chance to choose ANY big names to work directly for, who would it be and why?
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It will be myself at my own boutique for 500 Watchmojo
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Lazard's Andre Meyer. Read about his work ethic and the the praise he received from David Rockefeller, the Kennedy family and others. This guy really knew his way with people and emphasized the importance of interpersonal relationships over finance. He said that if you knew important people, important people would want to know you. He was also mentor to Felix Rohatyn and pioneered the M&A market after World War 2. Meyer was French but he escaped France when World War 2 started and moved to the US where he stayed even after the war
Jimmy Lee
Bernie Madoff
ELON MUSK.
Definitely would agree! Though not a wall st titan, guy is one of the smartest people out there.
You won't be throwing MONKEYSHIT when you're riding the HYPERLOOP TUNNEL for TESLAS that the he built on MARS!
Calm down, Trump-tweet.
Not one, but a team. The all-star team from the 90's: Long Term Capital Management's founders.
I would understand wanting to work for Meriwether at Salomon, but LTCM? What a bunch of wankers.
Gordon Gekko
Simons. Then I'll invest my money in Medallion and sit back. Otherwise, Dimon because JPM is an important part of the US economy and it'll be an interesting learning experience.
Ray Dalio or Howard Marks. It is their investment philosophy and company culture and returns of course that I admire.
I was going to say these two along with Seth Klarman.
For sure Seth Klarman - love his investment style and I don't need the attention/press (looking at you Ackman), just want that $$$. Guys like Klarman don't get nearly the respect they deserve on WSO, guess he would like it that way though.
Warren Buffett or Steven Schwarzman
I bet Warren Buffett would be stoked to be considered a "Wall Street Titan"
Omaha Titan
Martin Shkreli
I'm studying biochemistry, want to go into finance, and basically do the same as him, so I kind-of agree, though he isn't a titan.
You mean allegedly run a Ponzi-like scheme following risky short positions blowing up at your fund and, when discovered, raid your current company coffers to pay-off former investors who lost their money?
Or the part where he acquired a 60-year old drug that didn't have an AB-generic in the US because it wasn't economically-attractive to develop it given the previous branded price of the drug and small market size, then closed-off its distribution and jacked the price up by 4,000% overnight because he could, interrupting both patient access and generic manufacturer access to API while the entire industry reeled in response?
This is the best answer in this thread.
Dimon or Steven Schwarzman
Dimon keeps JPM's balance sheet in his head
Steven Schwarzman - he's over the top extravagant and a fun personality
Paul J. Taubman. The man was on the deal table by himself
good choice!
Dick Fuld
agreed
Le man
count me in
Bill Ackman
Agreed. He seems to do an extraordinary amount of due diligence as evidenced by his support on the claim of Herballife being a pyramid scheme (which I also agree with).
"Betting on Zero" is a pretty good documentary that covers the Ackman vs. Herbalife battle.
You do realize he's lost the Herbalife battle right? Along with VRX, PAH, and now looking like CMG. All of these were relatively obvious mistakes that other people spotted with a little bit of DD.
I look up to Ackman as an investor and corporate titan but maybe not a hedge fund manager. He takes incredible amount of risks and large concentrated bets. He's largely driven by his desire to prove himself right (as in case of HLF) and he is a very insightful business man... but to try to prove yourself with other people's money like that - not very appetizing for institutional investors. If he was running a family fund or doing these corporate battles with his own money like Carl Icahn, it'd be more fitting. Activist HF managers are certainly one of a kind.
Jamie Dimon = Built up JPM to where it is today + was the only bank that was relatively unscathed by the recession + seems like a great person
Dimon seems to be a popular one!
Dimon is so cool and charming and witty in real life that it makes me uncomfortable. You don't get to that level without being something of an egotistical kineving douche. I just know i'm probably being played by that charming bastard.
Same goes for a lot of the finance titans I've met.
Lloyd Blankfein, amazingly enough, just seems like such a down-to-earth lovely person its crazy. It made me feel bad about myself lol
Ray Dalio or Steve Cohen - two completely different approaches to managing a hedge fund, both incredibly successful.
Quant puffery or insider trading. Tough call.
what does dalio do that you consider quant puffery? i don't know much abou to him or his fund and would honestly like to know
Dick kovacevich or Hank Greenberg
seth klarman
John Meriwether
Ray Dalio when he started out (apparently the culture isn't that great nowadays); Dimon from a year before the recession to today.
Dalio - those returns.
No Einhorn?
Was just going to say Einhorn. Learn under a one of a kind investor and hopefully could get staked for Main Event in the process.
Finkle is Einhorn
Yung Jeff Skilling
not a wall street titan, but Peter Lynch
lynch counts in my book! Definitely one the greatest institutional value investors
You took my answer! Agreed
Bill Gross.
Ken Moelis, he's building a legacy
Justine Tobin.
Not so far fetched here... All you have to do is sell your soul for free.
Runner up: Lynn Tilton. You'd literally be working under her (body pillow or footstool)
Legendary
Carl Icahn
Jesse Lauriston Livermore in 1929
If you haven't read Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, it's a must as a Livermore fan. I'm sure you have if you're dropping his name...
I actually have not. Just love that the guy was a trader at heart. I read an article on him at one point and found him incredibly interesting. I am not a fan of market downturns but calling one accurately and coming out on top seems like the definition of having it mastered.
I've read that book a while back! Really good read - one of the most compelling stories and great history on how the stock exchange worked. He was a Gatsby of sorts and really characterized Wall Street in the early 1900s. From running away from his parent's to becoming one of the richest in america to his suicide - it was all like a movie.
Best trading book of all time
Jay Gould
God, yes. I was reading through these and thinking "how the fuck is no one naming anyone from the 1800s???" and I was thinking Jay Gould/Jim Fisk as a combo, but you beat me to it.
John Paulson - I think we would get along
Surprised nobody has mentioned Soros, Tepper, Covner, Tudor Jones
Tepper 100%. Great returns, brilliant risk management, solid process.
The macro guys are just too seat of your pants undisciplined for me, though Soros in his heyday would be a heck of a ride.
John Frank over at Oaktree?
And the sleeper pick, John Arnold
As a commodities guy myself this would be my pick too
Wow how are you commodities guys holding up nowadays?
i bet schwarzman is absolutely hysterical if you know him personally. Would love to work for him and hear about his outlook on things.
Mitt Romney - Bain Cap has always been a uniquely innovative maverick of a firm and Romney's management style and success across a variety of different management activities (whether it was saving Bain & Co from bankruptcy or saving the Salt Lake olympics) would offer a great opportunity to learn how to work hard and consistently.
Also in terms of current execs - My man Lloyd is offensively underrepresented on here. Schwartzman, Dalio, Dimon, and others are all good picks but Lloyd Blankfein is as tough and smart as Jamie Dimon and masterfully led Goldman through the purge, actually taking advantage of the chaos to further GS' hold of the top spot on the street.
Paul Tudor Jones, back in the 80s.
Sickening that no one has said druckenmiller
Jamie Dimon
Roger Altman;
Another one I would mention since this is hypothetical.... Paul Singer has been in some absolutely crazy situations with buying countries sovereign debt and then forcing them to repay through the legal system.
A lot of people refer to him as a vulture capitalist, they even name dropped him in an episode of Billions.
I've heard stories of him seizing dictators planes and trying to detain shipping vessels to get his payment faster haha.
This. So many names but Paul Singer is a bulldog who doesn't fuck around, doesn't care for emotions, and is purely driven by making money.
What he did to Argentina was fantastic. You can't borrow money, spend it like a drunken sailor, and then complain when you can't make payments that life is unfair.
Wish he would do this to Greece, Nigeria, etc.
This guy sounds like a modern day Godfather/Mobster!
Jimmy Lee (RIP) - One of Dimon's right-hand men and a dealmaking machine. He's instrumental in developing their capital markets division (DCM and ECM) and orchestrating the LBO boom in the early 2000s, engineering a fundamental shift from junk bond financing to syndicated loans.
Michael Milken - King of junk bond financing and fueler of the 1980s LBO boom. He financed corporate raiders like Icahn and Pickens. He's currently serving a lifetime ban from the securities industry, so not sure I would aspire to work for him.
Stephen Schwarzman or Henry Kravis 100%
Donald Trump - One of the biggest Real Estate titans in the world! Also the founder of a prestigious and well renowned University!
John Pierpont Morgan
Seconded
I'm surprised that not more people mentioned him
Ace Greenberg or Michael Burry
Bill Ackman, Ray Dalio, Carl Icahn, Seth Klarman.
Michael Milken
I will go with 5 names in no particular order:
Klarman, Abrams, Marks, Munger and Buffett
All are legends.
Stephen Schwarzmann
Oh wait....
I see what you did there
i am going with Julian Robertson since created legacy through tiger cubs and grandcubs or whatever they are called etc.
others would be Simons&Mercer, and probably Carl Icahn
Vikram Panda
Paul Singer, all he does is kick ass and take names.
Ralph Eads at Jefferies' Energy group in Houston. The group has been built into the most dominant shop for Upstream A&D and a strong Midstream business is being built out. Eads also financially engineered the financing necessary for the shale revolution in its infancy.
Interesting choice +SB
Does anyone have a comprehensive list of these guys? My education has been somewhat lacking and I'm playing catch up. Would love to read autobiographies/research these guys.
Edit: I could compile it myself, but hoping someone already has one.
Nick Leeson anyone? I know Eddie Braverman likes him.
For me it would have to be Joe Plumieri. He's really underrated but a legend in his own right. Watch this clip to see what I mean:
Soros or March Rich (well maybe).
Hard to choose, but if it could be anyone living or dead it would be Sidney Weinberg, with Mayer Rothschild, Gus Levy and Felix Rohatyn all meriting serious consideration.
Barry Sternlicht from Starwood Capital. Dude is ridiculously in tune with the capital markets and relates it all back to his real estate projects like no one I've ever seen.
James Goldsmith - watched a documentary on him at around 15 about the rise of corporate raiders, which inspired me to get into finance! Schwarzmann/Jonathan Gray has to be on that list too.
Dan Loeb would be one hell of a pen pal...
Surprised no one has mentioned Joe Perella... Seems like somebody who could actually be a great mentor/an honest person to work for. Also built out one of the first M&A departments in the 80's with Wasserstein during one of the more interesting times in the business.
Also, no one mentioned Michael Milken.
My Top 2: Bernie Madoff, Dick Fuld
Paul Tudor Jones- Because his documentary inspired me to get into Finance. I can relate to the young PTJ,he is a Good ol' boy.
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