Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Blackstone
Search every verified Stephen Schwarzman interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. During Blackstone’s second quarter 2026 earnings call, Schwarzman described the potential impact of AI as comparable to the Industrial Revolution and the commercialization of electricity, stating that economies have historically adjusted and living standards have improved. He said Blackstone is in the early days of what he called the most consequential markets in a generation, and that the firm is positioned to benefit from increased demand for data centers and energy infrastructure, noting that shortages of compute and chips are making existing assets more valuable. He also identified the white-collar professional and information services sector as an area where there would be less private equity activity due to uncertainty, estimating that sector represents 30 to 40% of the overall private equity market. In earlier interviews, Schwarzman discussed his philosophy of prioritizing downside protection, stating that the most important decision is to not lose money. He recounted the early days of founding Blackstone, describing a strategic plan that included corporate advisory, leveraged buyouts, and consolidation finance, and noted that the firm’s first client engagement was for $50,000. He also reflected on a large-scale real estate transaction in which Blackstone bought and sold $70 billion of properties in one month, generating a 3.2 times profit on $10 billion of equity.
“Overall, I believe the potential change from AI has precedent in the Industrial Revolution and the commercialization of electricity. Each time in history, there's been this type of dramatic change, economies have adjusted, and the standard of living for virtually everyone in society has improved over time. We believe t...”
“In closing, we are in the early days of what I believe will be the most consequential and markets in a generation. Private capital will play a vital role in these advancements. And Blackstone is the leading firm. I have great optimism for what's in store for our investors. And for shareholders, our stock is on sale tod...”
“I believe the most important decision is to not lose money. Some people care about the upside. They don't worry much about the downside. If they think the upside is great, I like to start in the reverse. Sort of like a doctor, you know, do no harm.”
“We bought and sold 70 billion dollars of properties in 1 month. The most anybody ever had sold in a year was like bought and sold 10. So, this was like a complete out-of-body experience. We just sold the last property in the last month or two. We made 3.2 times profit on that 10 billion. If we had held all of it, we pr...”
“We tried to figure out what could we do that everybody else in the world wasn't doing. And that's like an important way to think, not just try and be better at what everybody else is doing.”
“The strategic plan we came up with was first to go into the corporate advisory business... the second piece was to go into what was called then leverage buyouts... and the third part of our strategy was because finance was going through this amazing consolidation.”
“I tried to get Lehman to start that and we actually got a deal and it was turned down by the management committee which is one reason why they ended up broke.”
“When you're an entrepreneur and you start something, every day you're open, you lose money. You pay the rent.”
“Blackstone just reported the best results in our 40-year history with distributable earnings of $1.75 a share. As Weston mentioned, this capped a record year for the firm in which DE increased 20% to $5.7 billion per share or $7.1 billion powered by strong growth in fee related earnings and a significant acceleration i...”
“The historic pace of investment taking place in the US to facilitate the development of artificial intelligence, including the design and manufacturer of semiconductors, data center construction, and the expansion of power generation is the key driver of economic growth today and is creating an enormous need for capita...”
“The offering was extremely well received with shares trading up over 40% on the first day. Medline is a perfect illustration of the power of Blackstone's private equity model at work and our ability to generate attractive returns on large-scale control deals across vintages.”
“We now manage $130 billion in this area, up 30% year-over-year. Our farm-to-table approach, which brings clients directly to borrowers and is designed to create a structural premium to liquid fixed income, is really resonating.”
“I think the key to us and if you look at what we've done in direct lending let's say over 20 years we've consistently outperform what the leverage loan and high yield market offers. That's why I think these products can continue to do quite well.”
“The defaults in focus resulted from bank-led and bank syndicated credits, not private credit. Moreover, these situations are widely believed to involve the fraudulent pledging of the same collateral to multiple parties. The traditional private credit model is characterized by direct origination in the context of a long...”
“Following the US administration's recent executive order, we expect the defined contribution market to open to alternatives over time as well. In these areas, the powerful advantages of our brand, scale, and breath of capabilities are even more pronounced.”
Blackstone Inc (BX) — Q2 FY26 Earnings Call Live coverage with Benzinga. Q2 FY26 Results EPS: $1.52 (est. $1.35) — inline ...
Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman gives advice on attracting and assessing strong talent, making smart decisions, and how ...
Why did Stephen Schwarzman leave a powerful career at Lehman Brothers to start Blackstone? Discover how Stephen Schwarzman took a massive risk, left the security of Lehman, partnered with Pete Peterson, the early struggles of starting Blackstone and how they built Blackstone into one of the world’s largest investment firms. From private equity and real estate to becoming a trillion-dollar giant, this is the incredible story behind Blackstone’s rise. ✅ Special Thanks to Mr Steve Schwarzman ✅ Special Thanks to Mr Howard Marks ✅ Special Thanks to Mr Oaktree Capital ✅ Special Thanks to Wharton…
Citi hosted Blackstone Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder Steve Schwarzman for the latest session of Legends Live @Citi. Steve is a legendary figure in finance who transformed Blackstone from a boutique advisory firm into the world's leading alternative investment manager. During the session, he shared candid insights on building a high-performance culture, the entrepreneurial grit required to overcome early failures and the investment themes, like AI and data centers, shaping the future. He also discussed his influential philanthropic work, including the Schwarzman Scholars program designed to sha…
What is Stephen A. Schwarzman's read on the global tariff tensions—and how does India fit into Blackstone's long-term ...
Blackstone says India is its No.1 market globally in terms of returns on investment. The company's Chairman & CEO, Stephen Schwarzman told CNBC-TV18’s Shereen Bhan in Davos that it was an ambassador for India in the developed world, highlighting its all-Indian team on the ground and deep commitment to the country. #Blackstone #StephenSchwarzman #Davos #CNBCTV18Digital #CNBCTV18 #BusinessNewsLive #MarketNews #CNBC 🔴CNBC TV18 LIVE TV: https://youtube.com/live/P857H4ej-MQ SUBSCRIBE to our Channel: https://bit.ly/3nvEcxf --------------------------------------------------------------------------…
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