In this episode of Big Shot, we sit down with Wall Street titan Leon Cooperman. The son of working-class Polish immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, Leon founded Omega Advisors after a successful 25-year career at Goldman Sachs, where he rose to become Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
Despite being one of the richest men on the planet, Leon lives modestly, even still changing his own lightbulbs.
In this fascinating conversation, he shares insights on achieving success in business, marriage, and family, along with his philosophy on giving back, inspired by the belief that "a man's net worth is measured not by what he earns but by what he gives away." Leon even gets political and shares his thoughts on former President Trump. We can’t wait for you to listen.
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In This Episode We Cover:
(05:34) Leon’s background growing up in the Bronx
(07:36) Why Leon quit dental school and switched to economics
(09:28) How Leon got 16 job offers after graduating and why he went with Goldman Sachs
(11:00) Why Goldman Sachs was so successful
(12:35) How Leon’s father reacted to him dropping out of dental school
(13:25) Leon’s promotion to partner at Goldman Sachs
(15:30) Why Lee says he never learned how to live rich
(17:58) Leon’s philanthropy and why it’s so important to him
(19:51) Leon’s thoughts on protestors at Columbia
(25:58) Why there are many significant contributions to humanity made by the Jewish people
(29:30) Why Leon left Goldman Sachs and founded Omega
(33:10) The rogue employee that caused Leon to be accused of insider trading
(36:20) Why Leon considers Henry Singleton brilliant
(42:52) What Leon loves to do
(43:57) Leon’s hands-on approach to philanthropy
(46:17) Why Leon went to Xerox out of college(and why he left to go back to school)
(50:15) Leon’s successful marriage and his big takeaway
(51:45) Why Leon stuck it out with Goldman Sachs for so long
(53:25) Lessons from William Hurt and Teddy Roosevelt
(54:40) Why Leon changes his own lightbulbs in spite of his arthritis
(55:37) How Leon raised his kids to be self-starters
(57:00) David Rubenstein’s recent purchase of the Orioles
(57:57) Leon’s 40 businesses
(59:25) What chutzpah means to Leon and the importance of respect
(1:00:15) Leon’s thoughts on capitalism as an equalizer
(1:04:41) Leon’s political views
(1:06:02) Why Leon would never vote for Trump
(1:07:01) Leon’s father and the impact he had on him
(1:09:10) How Leon chooses institutions to donate to
(1:10:45) How Leon handles setbacks
(1:12:35) Why Leon thinks the country isn’t at its best
(1:13:40) Leon’s thoughts on AI
(1:14:22) Leon’s mother and her impact on him
(1:15:36) Why it’s common for Jewish people to have a fallback plan
(1:17:35) Advice on investing
(1:21:05) How Leon evaluates companies
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Where to find Leon Cooperman:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leon-cooperman-8ab35024/
Book: From The Bronx To Wall Street: My Fifty Years in Finance and Philanthropy: https://www.amazon.com/Bronx-Wall-Street-Finance-Philanthropy/dp/1642256226
Where To Find Big Shot:
Website: https://www.bigshot.show/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bigshotpodcast
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bigshotshow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigshotshow/
Harley Finkelstein: https://twitter.com/harleyf
David Segal: https://twitter.com/tea_maverick
Production and Marketing: https://penname.co
