The Other Half

Goldman 'Doing God's Work'

How the investment bank makes its money.

Whatever you call him, Lloyd Blankfein says he’s just a banker “doing God’s work.” The Sunday Times profiles money-making machine Goldman Sachs, and the result is maddening, inspiring, or amusing, depending on where you fall on the populist-rage scale. The newspaper says that for Blankfein, Goldman’s CEO, “the credit crunch has rekindled his innate passion for moneymaking.” Learn how the bank makes its money and how its alums end up with choice political appointments, all in their own words: "We didn’t f*** up like the other guys… So, now we’ve got a bigger and richer pot to piss in." “We don’t club baby seals. We club babies." Adds a rival, "They’re a clever gang—of thugs." Oddest factoid: Goldmanites must check their voicemail frequently for Blankfein’s “mind bullet” messages—as well as those of his wife, who is officially an executive office, but unofficially the camp counselor.