Henry Kravis on relationships
From Timeless wisdom - CMC lessons from Henry Kravis ’67 and George Roberts ’66 P’93 · · Claremont McKenna College
“There are three things that screw up any relationship is sex, money and ego. So let's talk about money and ego. The money parts you work out, the hard parts the ego. And that's really, really tough.”
On , Henry Kravis, Co-Founder & Executive Co-Chairman at KKR, spoke about relationships during Timeless wisdom - CMC lessons from Henry Kravis ’67 and George Roberts ’66 P’93 on Claremont McKenna College.
About Henry Kravis
Henry Kravis, co-founder and executive co-chairman of KKR, appeared at two events in the past year where he discussed the firm's history, investment philosophy, and current economic conditions. At a May 2025 Milken Institute Global Conference conversation with his cousin and co-founder George Roberts, Kravis described KKR's evolution, including its 1999 restructuring, the IPO of KKR & Co., the acquisition of Global Atlantic, and a new partnership with Capital Group. He stated that the firm had returned $2 for every dollar invested over the prior decade and advised individual investors to "stick with the fundamentals," allocate 70% of capital to long-term holdings, keep 20% in cash, and put 10% in riskier assets. Kravis also said that tariffs and regulatory uncertainty were top concerns for CEOs, but that he expected trade deals would be reached, and noted that over 90% of KKR's portfolio companies had limited tariff exposure. At an April 2026 event at Claremont McKenna College (CMC), Kravis and Roberts were honored for their philanthropy and service to the school. During the event, Kravis said that curiosity is essential for success in investing and business, and cautioned students against specializing too early in their undergraduate years. He remarked that KKR's best investments have come during periods of widespread pessimism, stating, "when everything looks the worst, that's the time, in our view, to lean in." Kravis also identified ego as the most difficult factor to manage in partnerships, saying, "the money parts you work out, the hard part's the ego."