The Accidental Investment Banker by Jonathan A. Knee [rare books]

Book Summary:

"The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade That Transformed Wall Street" is a memoir by Jonathan A. Knee, published in 2006. The book provides an insider's perspective on the evolution of investment banking during the 1990s, highlighting the industry's shift from client-centric relationships to transaction-focused practices amid the Internet boom and subsequent bust. 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.

About the Author:

Jonathan A. Knee is a Professor of Finance and Economics at the Columbia Graduate School of Business. He has previously taught at Northwestern University and served as a Senior Advisor at Evercore Partners, a boutique investment banking firm. Before joining Evercore, Knee was a managing director and co-head of Morgan Stanley's Media Group. His diverse career offers a unique perspective on the financial industry's transformation.