Praise for
The Accidental Investment Banker
“The fashion world has The Devil Wears Prada. Hollywood has You’ l l Ne ve r
Eat Lunch in This Town Again. Now Wall Street is getting a memoir-cum-
tell-all that skewers some of the industry’s most expensive egos. . . . [The
Accidental Investment Banker] offers the public a rare, ringside seat inside
the madcap and often egomaniacal world of Wall Street’s Masters of the
Universe [and] important insights into problems with Wall Street’s often
ruthless and conflicted culture.”
—Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times
“A wonderful primer for anyone who has wondered how Wall Street really
works . . . Not since Michael Lewis’s Liar’s Poker has there been as good,
as accessible or as pithy a look at the world of investment banking.”
—The Washington Post
“[Jonathan Knee] has written the best account I’ve read on how the inter-
net boom and bust was experienced inside the investment banking de-
partment of a big Wall Street firm.”
—Michael Lewis, Bloomberg.com
“For anyone who remembers the crazy boom times, and the even crazier
bust, Jonathan A. Knee’s The Accidental Investment Banker is a must. . . .
Reveals a world that rivals 24 in intrigue and drama.” —Fortune
“[Jonathan A. Knee] captures the glories and agonies of his profession.
General readers will marvel at his discussion of banker pay, which,
despite being slightly out-of-date, still seems glaringly huge. MBA students
will linger over Mr. Knee’s sardonic description of a ‘sell side,’ a mandate
to auction a company. In step-by-step fashion, he shows how bankers give
their clients the impression of running a ‘secretive,’ selective auction but
in fact do quite the opposite.” —The Wall Street Journal
“This insider’s chronicle brims with humor and insight as it depicts a world
driven mad by money.” —Fast Company
“Studded with arresting details . . . and with often-trenchant insight.”
—Roger Lowenstein, The New York Times
“As a memoir the book lies somewhere between Michael Lewis’ crisp, and
now classic Liar’s Poker and the autobiographical hagiographies penned by
Bruce Wasserstein or Alan ‘Ace’ Greenberg. . . . Articulate and
funny . . . makes a compelling argument.” —MarketWatch
“Funny and knowing, this business memoir debut should appeal to a wide
swath of business veterans.” —Publishers Weekly
“Most people know by now that investment bankers are rich, secretive and
powerful. But why? What do they really do? And why are they increas-
ingly distrusted by their most powerful clients? Finally we have someone
willing to lift the curtain.”
—James B. Stewart, author of Den of Thieves and
Disney War: The Battle for the Magic Kingdom
“Jonathan A. Knee takes a sharp look at the fundamental changes that have
taken place in the investment banking business. It’s an important story,
and thanks to the skillful way Knee mixes in the tale of his own experi-
ence as a banker, it reads like a novel. The book is hard to put down.”
—Bethany McLean, author of The Smartest Guys in
the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
“A terrific book—engrossing and highly instructive.”
—Mark Gerson, CEO, Gerson Lehrman Group
“The Accidental Investment Banker is a must-read for anyone in business
who is impacted by Wall Street—and that is just about everyone.”
—Leo Hindery, Jr., managing partner,
InterMedia Partners and former CEO of TCI
“Without a doubt, the deftest and most revealing thing I’ve read about invest-
ment banking.” —Michael Wolff, author of Burn Rate
“Entertainingly indiscreet—Knee’s talent for wicked pen portraits is put
to good use.” —Financial Times