You’ve interviewed many of the top investors—Buffett, Jim Chanos, Bill Ackman, David Einhorn and so on—if you had to pick one to manage your money, who would it be?
I’d hand my money over to Warren willingly, and Einhorn as well. A lot of these guys are so smart, so intuitive and really careful. I would give it to a number of our guests, but they would have to be putting their money in the fund as well, so they had skin in the game.
You interviewed Ken Lewis last April. Now that he’s officially retired and you can speak freely, did you get the sense he was a little dim? Not so sharp?
I might have been quick to jump in that camp if I hadn’t met him. I wasn’t, you know, just taken by him, but I did think he was definitely a smart guy. He probably should’ve dumped the Merrill deal if we’re talking about what was best for the shareholders, but it would’ve been hugely problematic for the nation.
When are you guys going to have the next generation of CEOs on the show? Have you approached Lloyd Blankfein’s sons yet? I’m sure Andrew Ross Sorkin has already started currying favor with them.
Not yet, but that’s a good tip! I’d love to have them on. We’ll have to do that.
Let’s say you’re the captain of the Wall Street softball team. Who gets picked first, who gets picked last?
I’d take Jamie Dimon first. Seems good at sports. Young. Tough. Last, I’d pick Chuck Prince, who’s probably too busy dancing.
Who gets busted for juicing?
[laughs] Everyone popping into my head is a journalist—I can’t say anymore!
How long until the next crisis?
Probably quite a while, though I’m sure very nascent bubbles are being formed right now. It’s going to take a while for anything to fully inflate and collapse.
Why is your column better than Jack and Suzy Welch’s?
I’d never put myself up against Jack and Suzy. It’s flattering that you would even say that.
Bess Levin is editor of DealBreaker.com
editorial@observer.com
