David Solomon

David Solomon is the Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, one of the world's leading investment banking, securities, and investment management firms. Born in 1962 in Hartsdale, New York, Solomon graduated from Hamilton College and began his career at Irving Trust and Bear Stearns before joining Goldman Sachs in 1999. He rose through the investment banking division and was named CEO in October 2018, succeeding Lloyd Blankfein. Solomon's tenure has been defined by an ambitious but uneven attempt to diversify Goldman beyond its traditional strengths in investment banking and trading. His original strategic vision included a major push into consumer banking through the Marcus platform, aiming to build a digital retail bank from scratch. The consumer experiment proved costly — Goldman lost over $3 billion on Marcus — and Solomon ultimately reversed course, selling off the consumer lending portfolio and refocusing on Goldman's institutional strengths. The retreat from consumer banking was paired with a strategic pivot toward asset and wealth management, which Solomon identified as a more stable, fee-generating business. Goldman's acquisition of United Capital and NN Investment Partners, combined with the growth of alternatives and private credit, has grown the asset management division into a significant revenue contributor with more predictable earnings than the volatile trading desk. Solomon leads Goldman during a period of significant change in financial markets — rising interest rates, geopolitical uncertainty, and the transformation of capital markets by technology and AI. His DJ persona (he performs under the name D-Sol at major music festivals) makes him the most unconventional Goldman CEO in the firm's history, generating both positive brand awareness and criticism from traditionalists. Despite the consumer banking stumble, Goldman's stock has reached record highs under his leadership, driven by strong investment banking fees and trading revenue.