About Lloyd Blankfein
Lloyd Blankfein released a memoir titled *Streetwise: Getting to and Through Goldman Sachs* in April 2026 and conducted a series of media interviews to promote the book. In these appearances, he discussed his upbringing in public housing in Brooklyn, his experience as an outsider at Harvard, and his rise to become CEO of Goldman Sachs. On the subject of higher education, Blankfein said he believes young people should not skip college to chase money and fame. He also commented on Harvard, stating that governmental scrutiny caused the university to make "course corrections."
In multiple interviews, Blankfein argued that the financial system is accumulating risk that could lead to a future crisis. He used the metaphor of "dry tinder" building up on a forest floor, stating that a long period without a major crisis has led to complacency and the overvaluation of private assets. Blankfein said the next crisis would be harder to contain than 2008 because reforms have spread risk beyond the reach of regulators, though he noted that such distributed risk makes the system safer for smaller shocks. He attributed Goldman's survival of the 2008 crisis to its rigorous mark-to-market accounting and risk culture, and stated that if other banks had managed themselves the same way, there would not have been a banking crisis.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Lloyd Blankfein's recent appearances.
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✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
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Interviewer0:00
So tell me, how did you become engaged in this issue of marriage equality?
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Lloyd Blankfein0:05
The reason why it was so important, because we're a big employer of a business whose entire feedstock consists of people, which means talent, which means we're permanently trying to recruit people, train them, and retain them at our firm.
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Interviewer0:17
Why is that important for your business? Why is this good business?
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Lloyd Blankfein0:19
Well, again, that's an important question that you ask, because at the end of the day, this aligns with my personal views. But I don't look, I'm not using this as a platform to espouse my personal views. The only reason why most people are interested in what I have to say is because of what I represent at Goldman Sachs, and therefore I only use my platform for Goldman Sachs issues. This issue is a business issue. It's a civil rights issue, but it's also a business issue. The ability for employment benefits to be shared among spouses, the ability to move people who are dependent on visas for trailing spouses, all hinges on being able to deal with families of gay people in the same way that you deal with families of straight people. Otherwise, they can't move around, they're unhappy, and we can't attract a whole set of very talented people.
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Interviewer1:13
How did you interact with people in the firm? You've been here for many years. When did you feel like people came out? What was the, when did you start to realize that, hey, that guy's gay or she's a lesbian? When did that start to happen more frequently in the firm?
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Lloyd Blankfein1:27
I think, you know, listen, I was always conscious. There were always, you know, I've been in the firm for 30 years, and I knew that there were people who I knew were gay, and other people did. And it's a question of more people over time felt more comfortable. For all I know, even in this environment where we try to make things as comfortable as possible, it may not be as comfortable for everyone. And even if it's comfortable here, it might be comfortable 100 yards from this place. And for all I know, there are still people today who are living lives burdened by not being able to reveal who they really are, and are living in a state of discomfort that is really unfortunate. And I feel sorry, I don't know who they are, but there have to be some. I feel sorry for them. And I'm not yet saying that we're in a world where everything is easy for everybody.
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Interviewer2:18
So you did this video for Human Rights Campaign which was all over YouTube, and I know that there was a lot of positive feedback. Did you get some negative flack from that?
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Lloyd Blankfein2:27
None that I can really recall. Almost none. Virtually none.
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Interviewer2:31
After you did that video for HRC, I read that you actually lost one big client who had a religious affiliation. Any further fallout in the last year or so since that video went up?
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Lloyd Blankfein2:40
I heard we lost a client, but I understood why. I mean, this particular issue is a part of the core tenets of the group that's behind this pool of money, and I understood completely why they did it. I didn't like it, but I understood it. And by the way, they understood why we were taking the position that we did. So I'm not saying we're not friends, but we're not managing their money.
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Interviewer3:05
So I have to read you a quote which is from the conservative Family Research Council that filed an opposing brief and said that they are blaming, quote, 'a corporate environment dictated by wealthy pro-homosexual activists' for the growing corporate support of same-sex marriage. How do you react to that?
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Lloyd Blankfein3:27
Okay. I'm not... I'm pro-diversity, and I'm pro-allowing people to live the lives they want to live as happily as they can without any interference from me, if they're not otherwise bothering anyone and are productive and useful. And that's where I am. I'm trying to achieve neutrality. I think that's a statement that has bias associated with it. I'm not biased. I'm trying to have a neutral workplace environment that's as inviting as it can be for all people. Now, to the extent there are other companies or industries which are going to be hostile and repellent to people who are talented, you know something? They're just giving us a competitive advantage.
