The Blind Ambition with Jack Kelly

Jack Kelly, a savvy financial strategist, and Rick Chen, an expert on job satisfaction, dive into the dilemma of high earners grappling with job fulfillment. They discuss the paradox of feeling financially strained despite hefty paychecks and how this affects career decisions. The duo explores the intricacies of corporate culture, especially in tech, and the impact of living in expensive cities. Their insights reveal the struggle between financial gain and personal happiness, prompting listeners to rethink their own career paths.

A recent poll reveals that a staggering number of Nvidia employees consider themselves millionaires, thanks to soaring stock prices. The hosts dissect how stock-based compensation works, highlighting the allure—and stress—of long-term grants. They also explore the culture at Nvidia, where many coworkers are rich, and how this impacts workplace dynamics. Plus, they take a psychological dive into the effects of financial incentives, examining the mental toll of 'golden handcuffs' and the tough balance between wealth and job satisfaction.

Jack Kelly and Rick Chen break down Goldman Sachs' latest planned layoffs of 1,300 to 1,800 people as part of its annual performance review process. We react to the mega investment bank's plans to "cull" its workforce and why so many Wall Street firms and banks have annual layoffs. Jack reflects on how the situation is exacerbated by the stigma associated with being labeled a so-called "low performer" and how it typically impacts someone's job prospects in the future. Rick compares the pay packages common on Wall Street and the finance industry with what you might earn at Nvidia, Meta or a startup in the tech industry. He also explains how stock options and restricted stock unit grants work and whether people really earn $500,000 or more in tech. Jack contrasts the tech industry's stock-based compensation with Wall Street's cash bonuses and explains which might be the better bet for your career. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/blind-podcast https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/09/03/goldman-sachs-plans-to-lay-off-around-1300-employees/

Terence Bennett, CEO of DreamFactory Software Terence has long known he would join the U.S. Navy, but it was unclear what he might do after leaving the armed services. We explore his remarkable career journey, marked by different transitions: specialties within the Navy, military life to civilian life, and going from an individual contributor to becoming a startup COO and then CEO. Terence also shares how he stood out when applying for a job at Google, including the tip he tells every veteran to ace their job interviews. (Hint: Hardly anyone ever takes the time to do it!) https://bit.ly/blind-podcast

Kyle Elliott, Founder of Kyle Elliott Consulting Kyle helps senior professionals and executives land their dream jobs at some of the hottest companies in Silicon Valley. We get Kyle to coach us on how to network—even when you feel like you have to start from zero—optimize your resume so that you can better compete against AI and the tens of thousands of other applicants, and how you can package your experience into standout stories to wow recruiters, hiring managers and executives. https://bit.ly/blind-podcast

Charles Beadnall, Chief Technology Officer at GoDaddy Charles was one of the early builders of the Internet. We learn how Turner Broadcasting, Yahoo!, and other tech companies influenced how he leads his engineering teams and the experimental and innovation-focused culture at GoDaddy today. Charles shares his insights into how technologists can use their problem-solving skills to hack faster promotions. He emphasizes the importance of understanding business goals and problems and matching skill sets, mentors and drive to overcome each challenge to drive impact at the company and your career. https://bit.ly/blind-podcast

Jack Kelly and Rick Chen react to Wall Street's 100-hour-plus workweeks and its culture of grinding out employees, especially in the junior ranks. We explore the compensation available and whether the money is worth the sacrificed weekends, social relationships and mental health. Jack also walks through all of the available functions and roles in the finance industry and why tech professionals might want to make the switch. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/blind-podcast https://wsj.com/finance/banking/bank-of-america-worker-death-policies-89eff5f6 https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/05/30/the-dark-side-of-investment-banking-stress-pressure-and-100-hour-workweeks/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/03/19/the-price-to-pay-for-success-and-wealth-young-goldman-sachs-bankers-complain-of-100-hour-workweeks-sleep-deprivation-and-micromanagement/

Angie Hicks, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer of Angi Angie shares the unlikely story of how she became an entrepreneur as a 22-year-old right out of college. We explore the origins of Angie's List, including how they created a marketplace startup before it became popular, why the company bears her name and the marketing tactics the company used to grow to attract venture capital funding and eventual acquisition. We learn how anyone can be an entrepreneur or startup founder, even if you don't consider yourself a risk-taker. Angie provides a rare glimpse into her leadership approach and how the company maintains a people-first and adaptable culture. https://bit.ly/blind-podcast

Carlo di Florio, Global Advisory Leader at ACA Group Carlo spent a decade as a senior regulator, overseeing the financial services industry at the SEC and FINRA. He gives us a rare look into what it's like to be a regulator and how someone lands a role in these top jobs. He also shares the common scams and naughty things bankers, brokers, finance executives and traders might do. Carlo also takes some time to debunk some myths about a career in compliance, risk and regulatory work. He shares the common career paths for these roles and how many are not accountants or lawyers, plus the typical work-life balance, organization culture and compensation in the field. Finally, we learn about how seamlessly someone can transition from government work as a regulator to the private sector and consulting and back again. https://bit.ly/blind-podcast

Lynne Oldham, Chief People Officer at Stash Lynne made it as an HR executive through a circuitous route across companies, industries, and even countries. We tackle all of the different HR tropes out there, including whether HR is your enemy, how they might only serve executives or the companies, and how mass layoffs might happen. Lynne gives us a sneak peek into what it's like working in HR as we tackle and dispel each of these myths one by one and through the lens of her time as the chief people officer at Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic and her transition to Stash, a purpose-focused company. https://bit.ly/blind-podcast