Expectation: Exposé of Wall St. bad behavior (i.e. Illegal, suspicious, etc.)

Reality: Author proudly relates his substance abuse, misogyny, racism, and sociopathy while making six figures and never regretting a minute. Tucker Max bad behavior, not Enron.

Literally outrageous. Once I was in I had to get through.

Burn investment banking to the ground. ( )

Originating from the "GS Elevator" tweets (which were hilarious), this is a book-length accounts of "typical banker behavior", particularly among top-tier banks in Asia. Having lived in Hong Kong a bit (although on a much lower budget), there was some nostalgia here.

What wasn't reflected in the book, but what seems really interesting, is how the most ambitious people actually left big banks for small hedge funds/prop trading/etc., or tech entrepreneurship, after 2009. Fortunately most of these people conform to new social norms in their new environments, so bad banker behavior hasn't followed them.

(Listened as audible audiobook) ( )

John Lefevre, autor de @GSElevator, nos cuenta su vida como jefe de la mesa de Syndicate de Citi Bank, en una aventura que le llevó a Londres y luego a Hong Kong.
El libro está muy, muy bien escrito. Narra las juergas continuas, los pisotones, las puñaladas por la espalda, el lujo y en general todos los tópicos atribuidos a los despreciables banqueros de Wall Street. Pero lo hace muy bien, oigan.

El autor oscila entre la autojustificación, el choteo y los consejos bienintencionados. Al final queda un relato sincero, plagado de frases bestias y anécdotas aún más bestias sobre gente sin ningún tipo de moral y con más dinero del que necesitan. Algunas frases que he subrayado:

As we see it, if you’re dumb enough to get caught cheating, you probably don’t belong on Wall Street

There’s no justice in this world—a valuable lesson to learn at a young age, especially if you want to end up on Wall Street

Who you know is as important as what you do and how you are perceived is more important than any reality.

El libro me ha encantado. Como muestra, el autor ofrece una de las muchas historias que cuenta en el libro (la más escatológica pero no necesariamente la más bestia): The Roadshow (aka The Worst Private Plane Trip Of All-Time) ( )

Started out funny, but I just lost interest. :(

A good read. .LeFevre does not grow at all in the book, which is a rude commentary on the life of a bond guy who heads up various syndicates. I knew many of these jerks when I was in the business from 1967 to 2002; I never knew why I was invited to some dinners, and now I know; they all wore bespoke English clothes, and I envied them enormously. He ends up as Goldman's head of Asia, but I assume he is now out of the business. The #Goldman Sachs elevator comments are priceless. ( )