ARTICLES
Running Off the Rails: The Sale of CFR Marfa
[Originally published in the Autumn 2013 issue of Esquire magazine.] If you want to see why governments should not run companies, just take a look and see how they sell...
A Jew. Of course.
[Originally published in the November 2013 issue of Elle magazine.] Some time ago, I was ruining my day trying to accomplish something simple at my bank when the...
Lessons from Cyprus
[Originally published in the Summer 2013 issue of Esquire magazine.] It’s not easy to make bankers look good these days. We’re still not finished cleaning up from the...
The Future Is Customer Service – Even in Romania
[Originally published April 29, 2013, in Capital.] Because predictions are best left to economists and fools, once in a while I think it’s my turn. So here it is:...
Now Showing: A PowerPoint Presentation
[Originally published March 25, 2013, in Capital,] Years ago, when I worked at a very large bank, I was in a meeting. The CEO was there, the President, the CMO, several...
Segmentations from Underground – Where IBM Meets Dostoevsky
[Originally published March 14, 2013, in Dilema Veche.] "I am a sick man.... I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man. I believe my liver is diseased." Every time...
How I Know I’m Not in New York (Part 4)
[Originally published March 5, 2013, in Dilema Veche.] “I don’t know. But let me tell you.” I met my Romanian friend Remus for a drink the other night. When he invited...
How I Know I’m Not in New York (Part 3)
[Originally published Feb. 22, 2013, in Dilema Veche.] “They can’t do that to us!” My Romanian friend Remus called me the other day. He was upset. Very, very upset....
The Forgotten Legacy
[Originally published Feb. 14, 2013, in Dilema Veche.] A long time ago, one of my best friends went to prison. He was caught doing something illegal involving money and...
Hey, You! Eat Here!
[Originally published Jan. 28, 2013, in Capital.] A new restaurant opened recently in my residential neighborhood. It’s not a bad-looking restaurant. In fact, it’s...
Wanted: A Political Strategy
[Originally published Aug. 23, 2012, in Dilema Veche.] Given the tone of political conversation in Romania these past several weeks, clearly there is no need anymore...
A Wasted Crisis
[Originally published Aug. 12, 2012, in Capital.] I’m finally convinced that businesses here have wasted a perfectly good crisis. What a shame. I walked into a toy...
A Confusing Ride Along the Path of a Product
[Originally published in August 2012 issue of Lafferty Cards & Payments Insights.] There is a traffic circle (or “round-about” if you’re from England) along one of...
The Business of Politics
[Originally published July 14, 2012, in Capital.] Politics in a democracy is like business in a free market. The winners in the end are the ones who know what they are...
Plagiarism
[Originally published July 12, 2012, in Dilema Veche.] Here’s a disturbing thought: Romania’s Prime Minister is accused of having committed an egregious and truly...
Bankers Are Funny People
[Originally published June 27, 2012, in Capital.] Bankers are funny people. For example, who didn’t have a good laugh recently when Jamie Dimon appeared before the U.S....
The Media Business
[Originally published May 28, 2012, in Capital.] If you want a quick lesson on how not to do business, look at the news media here. There is no better example in...
The Political Game
[Originally published May 10, 2012, in Capital.] In politics, there is a sense there can be no shame in winning. You cannot make the world pure and good (the thinking...
Mentoring the Mentors
[Originally published May 4, 2012, in Capital.] Sixteen years ago, while making an eye-opening transition from reporting about banks to working inside one, I was...
Speaking Romanian
[Originally published in the Summer 2010 edition of Decat o Revista magazine.] From the moment I first heard the word “inainte” I knew it was not a real word. It could...