Why He Left Goldman
It was the culture, he contends Recall about a year ago. It was the op-ed piece heard all around the business world, when Goldman Sachs vice president Greg Smith dared to announce his resignation on the pages of the New York Times . After an 11-year stint in its institutional sales unit, Smith announced he had had enough and it was time to depart. He decided to share publicly why his disappointments in the business culture led to his decision to leave a fairly lucrative position. (See CFN: Goldman Sachs and the Letter, Mar-2012 ) At the time of his departure, Smith was head of U.S. Equity Derivatives in Goldman's London office. (In London, he was an "executive director," which at Goldman was equivalent to a U.S. "vice president.") He had progressed swiftly through the ranks and was highly regarded for his expertise in markets, clients and derivatives in his special perch. By most accounts, he was not a difficult employee and colleague. He had made meaningful ...