The Accidental Investment Banker

"Entertainingly indiscreet . . . Knee's talent for wicked pen portraits is put to good use."--Financial Times Investment bankers used to be known as respectful of their clients, loyal to their firms, and chary of the financial system that allowed them to prosper. What happened? From his prestigious Wall Street perches at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, Jonathan A. Knee witnessed firsthand the lavish deal-making of the freewheeling nineties, when bankers rode the wave of the Internet economy, often by devil-may-care means. By the turn of the twenty-first century, the bubble burst and the industry was in free fall. Told with biting humor and unflinching honesty, populated with power players, back-stabbers, and gazillionaires, The Accidental Investment Banker is Knee's exhilarating insider's account of this boom-and-bust anything-goes era, when fortunes were made and reputations were lost. "Not since Michael Lewis's Liar's Poker has there been as good, as accessible or as pithy a look at the world of investment banking."--The Washington Post "For anyone who remembers the crazy boom times, and the even crazier bust, Jonathan A. Knee's The Accidental Investment Banker is a must. This tell-all chronicles Knee's time at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, revealing a world that rivals 24 in intrigue and drama."--Fortune "[Knee] captures the glories and agonies of his profession . . . Readers will marvel."--The Wall Street Journal "Finally we have someone willing to lift the curtain. . . . With refreshing candor and engaging prose, [this book] takes us inside the world of investment banking."--James B. Stewart, author of Den of Thieves and DisneyWar

1 A Chicken in Every Pot 2 The Accidental Investment Banker 3 An Empire on It's Own 4 "Let's Ask Sidney Weinberg" 5 What Investment Bankers Really Do 6 The Culture of M&A 7 The Rise of John Thornton 8 The House of Morgan 9 Cracks in the Façade 10 Drama of the Gifted Banker 11 Take a Walk on the Buy-Side 12 "Save the Red Carpet for the talent" 13 View from the Top 14 The Myth of Meritocracy 15 King of the SLC's 16 The Long Goodbye