William D. Cohan
Puck
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Past articles by William:
Was FTX a Lehman or an Enron?
Wall Street comes to terms with a generational financial tragedy. → Read More
Carlos Watson Has a Cold
A tale of the embattled Ozy founder, a turkey club sandwich, and a misadventure in crisis management. → Read More
Opinion | My Years on Wall Street Showed Me Why You Can’t Make a Deal on Zoom
Even as the Delta variant surges, it’s imperative that the finance industry get back into the office. → Read More
“The Truth Turns Out to Be Ugly”: How Paul, Weiss Tried to Thwart Reporting on the Caesars Palace Collapse
The authors of a new book accuse the prestigious law firm of making unreasonable demands—“things no journalist could or would or should ever do,” says one—and even threatened a lawsuit as they dug into the Caesars mess. → Read More
Bullying, Booze, and Choke Holds: With Goldman Sachs’s Culture Under the Microscope, a Former Intern’s Abuse Suit Moves Forward
As the investment bank faces scrutiny for its treatment of first-year analysts, a case involving allegations of physical violence and a toxic, frat-house culture is scheduled to go to trial later this year. → Read More
“I Was Not Eating, Showering, or Doing Anything Else”: Young Goldman Analysts Reveal Grueling Climb Up the Finance Ladder
An internal Goldman Sachs survey finds first-year analysts physically and mental drained from working 95 hours—or more—a week and enduring an onslaught of criticism and unrealistic expectations. “Being unemployed is less frightening to me than what my body might succumb to,” says one. → Read More
Leak of Bombshell CBS Investigation Led to Multimillion-Dollar Settlement
The media giant and a law firm hired to probe sexual-misconduct allegations against former CBS chief Les Moonves are said to have paid millions to someone who claimed a breach of confidentiality after The New York Times revealed explosive details from a draft report on the investigation. → Read More
The Private Equity Party Might Be Ending. It’s About Time.
A recent legal decision may force Wall Street to think twice before saddling struggling companies with debts they can’t handle. → Read More
GameStop Mania Is Leaving a Trail of Destruction in Its Wake
This week’s wild saga is no different from market dramas of the past, except that it happened at turbo speed. When the dust settles there will be a few winners—and a whole lot of losers. → Read More
“We’re Going to Be Stunned by How Much Money He Makes”: Wall Street Looks to Donald Trump’s Next Con
Trump doesn’t need a media empire to make bank—turning just a fraction of his supporters into paid subscribers could net him the cash he needs to pay off millions in debt. → Read More
“The World Is Watching in Shock”: Global Investors Are Getting Jittery as America Descends Into Political Turmoil
As major companies suspend political donations following the deadly Capitol siege, some sovereign-wealth-fund managers are putting the breaks on U.S. investment. For the first time, says one senior Wall Street executive, the country has been flagged as a political risk. → Read More
Gary Cohn Is a Test Case for Trying to Wash Off the Trump Stink
The former top White House economic adviser just landed a plum executive gig at IBM, but will the Trump officials now racing toward the exits find a next act? → Read More
”Now It’s Totally Dead”: Can Small Businesses Survive COVID’s Economic Wrecking Ball?
Warren Buffett has called them “collateral damage,” but small and medium-size businesses are the lifeblood of the U.S. economy—and a move by Trump’s Treasury secretary could make their plight even worse. → Read More
“The Firm Is Very Strong”: David Boies Talks “Transition” as Partners Flee—And Retirement Looms
The 79-year-old Boies Schiller cofounder, who’s repped heroes (same-sex marriage) and villains (Weinstein, Theranos), remains productive, but with an eye toward the firm’s future. Some high-level departures were “not part of the plan,” he admits, but also don’t spell disaster. → Read More
“The Politics of Hiring Wall Street People Is Bad”: Biden Has Kept the Bankers and Traders at Bay, but Will It Last?
Trump surrounded himself with Goldman alums, as past administrations also plucked Wall Street execs for plum economic posts. Biden Treasury secretary isn’t happening, but with thousands of other openings, says one banker, “plenty of people who worked on Wall Street” will land in government. → Read More
“They Are Going to Have a Problem”: Will Davos Become the Next COVID Casualty?
Swapping Swiss Alps soirees for virtual “greenrooms” presents a serious challenge to the World Economic Forum, as it tries to keep its power broker members—and the media—from jumping ship. Still, insists one Wall Street exec, “Davos is absolutely not over.” → Read More
Simon & Schuster Sold Just About Everything in 2020—Except Itself
The publishing behemoth, which hit the market just before lockdown, racked up best sellers from Woodward, Bolton, and Mary Trump. Amid speculation about potential buyers—one of the “Big Five” houses? French media conglomerate Vivendi? A private-equity firm?—ViacomCBS is keeping quiet. → Read More
“They Live for F--king Gridlock”: Wall Street Is Giddy Over the Prospect of a Biden Presidency—And GOP Senate
Less White House chaos, more COVID competence, and—if Mitch McConnell stays in charge—a tough terrain for big tax increases and increased regulations. With a “mixed government,” says Anthony Scaramucci, “you may get the best of both worlds.” → Read More
Mike Mayo’s Suit Against CLSA Americas May Pull Back the Curtain on Wall Street
The veteran analyst and CNBC regular, seeking millions in a back bonus, will make his case in arbitration—a process that typically favors the big banks. Yet Mayo, says his attorney, “has more leverage than most” Wall Street employees. → Read More
“Paris to Teterboro Was Like Taking a Car Service”: Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Final Days of Freedom
A new book delves into the late financier and convicted sex offender’s “criminal web.” Revisiting questions about his fateful return to the U.S., author Barry Levine says Epstein’s mindset was that he was always “above the law.” → Read More