M&A dealmaker's real-life adventure tale tells the story of a turbulent period on Wall Street
Surviving Wall Street: A Tale of Triumph, Tragedy and Timing portrays the dramatic transformation of the investment banking business in recent decades through the tumultuous saga of one firm (Greenhill & Co., a specialist in mergers and acquisitions) and one man (Scott Bok, the longtime CEO of that firm). Written in the style of an adventure tale, this book is also a "coming of age" story for a naive young man who came to Wall Street - as thousands like him do each year - and managed to grab a front-row seat for a period of epic change.
Readers will gain an insider's perspective on:
- A M&A firm's journey from start-up to wildly successful first-of-a-kind IPO and later to a sale to a major global bank
- Numerous crises that rocked Greenhill and all of Wall Street, including the dot-com crash, global financial crisis and pandemic
- How the creation of new firms and mergers or collapses of old ones have driven the evolution and growth of the industry
- The author's role in a battle for control of the University of Pennsylvania that featured activist shareholder and corporate takeover tactics
A firsthand account of deals and dealmakers told from inside the boardroom, Surviving Wall Street will captivate those wanting to understand the dramatic evolution and expansion of Wall Street, as well as younger readers hoping to chart their own path to success in this Darwinian industry.
Table of Contents
PREFACE XI
CHAPTER 1
BEFORE THE BEGINNING 1
CHAPTER 2
I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT 15
CHAPTER 3
UP, UP AND AWAY 27
CHAPTER 4
MOVING FAST 37
CHAPTER 5
A BUBBLE BURSTS 59
CHAPTER 6
REFUSING TO SELL OUT 93
CHAPTER 7
A NOT SO CRAZY IDEA 117
CHAPTER 8
BRAINS AND BULL MARKETS 139
CHAPTER 9
VISITORS FROM JURASSIC PARK 157
CHAPTER 10
ANOTHER YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING 171
CHAPTER 11
SHIFTING TIDES AND TIDAL WAVES 191
CHAPTER 12
GREEDY PEOPLE WATCHING 223
CHAPTER 13
NOT TOO BIG TO FAIL 241
CHAPTER 14
ZAMBONIS AND ICE 265
CHAPTER 15
CLOUDS OF DUST 281
CHAPTER 16
STARTING OVER 301
CHAPTER 17
SUCCESSION 325
CHAPTER 18
“WE’RE GONNA DIE” 343
CHAPTER 19
NOT DEAD YET 367
CHAPTER 20
IT’S (NOT ALWAYS) A WONDERFUL LIFE 381
CHAPTER 21
THERE IS A SEASON 401
CHAPTER 22
A GATHERING STORM 419
CHAPTER 23
TWO WORLDS COLLIDE 433
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 463
NOTES 467
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 483
INDEX 485