5 ms·

I followed his resume story pretty closely when it broke simply for the outrageousness of it all and this is correct. I can't speak to what he achieved afterwar

I followed his resume story pretty closely when it broke simply for the outrageousness of it all and this is correct. I can't speak to what he achieved afterwards. The ones I remember distinctly: - Video of him skiing in the video is stock footage he bought on craigslist. - Video of tennis serve at 140 mph. - Plagiarized an economics paper in his resume - Claimed to be one of a limited number of people in Connecticut certified for nuclear waste disposal ivygateblog.com seemed to be the biggest follower of his and may still have a lot of the articles and the paper resume.

droithomme 14y ago
Some of these stories such as the nuclear waste one came from stories from people who met him at Yale, and reported in the Yale campus tabloid Rumpus. Jordan Bass, an acquaintance seems to be the source for several of the outrageous ones which were told in the context of Bulldog Days, an official Yale event featuring illegal underage drinking for high school seniors that were accepted. It's pretty clear that most of what he said at this event, assuming he said it at all, was intended as a joke. After it got written up in the campus newspaper and people knew him for this it seems he continued with the joke during his time there since people obviously greatly enjoyed it. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/23/061023ta_talk_mcgrath http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/23/061023ta_talk_mc... * taught tennis to Jerry Seinfeld and Harrison Ford * a specialist in Chinese orthopedic massage * the Dalai Lama wrote his college recommendation * he is an action star * he is an espionage expert * he is a professional athlete * he practices on the C.I.A. firing range * he participates in martial-arts competitions in a secret system of tunnels underneath Woodstock, New York * he competes at skiing competitions in Switzerland * he worked for the Russian Mafia forging passports * won two games in a tennis match against Pete Sampras * founded a charity for troubled kids * wrote a book called "Women’s Silent Tears: A Unique Gendered Perspective on the Holocaust" * is a professional male model * must register his hands as lethal weapons at airports * is one of four people licensed to handle nuclear waste in the state of Connecticut * has killed two dozen men in Tibetan gladiatorial contests My take? He was an awesome guy.
- EvanKelly 14y ago
  Some of these things (charity for troubled kids, holocaust book) appear in his non-video resume which he sent to the investment banks. In the context of a huge elaborate joke about himself, this guy is easily someone I would have liked to hang out with, purely for the entertainment factor. I'm liable to believe it was a little bit of both.
- pepr 14y ago
  It's somewhat sad given the circumstances, but this reads as one of those Chuck Norris lists.
  - Tichy 14y ago
    If Chuck Norris can do it, some other human can do it, too.
- guylhem 14y ago
  I can not comment on things I did not see. As I said, I read the article (and the posted video), didn't know the details or the story beforehand. I'm not usually interested in gossip - but with the news, it was interesting to try and understand the reasons of what looks like another suicide. In the video, I see him breaking bricks and lifting weights, armwrestling etc. All this is quite possible for me, and no reason to be ridiculed against. Physical prowess is a good thing! The rest I don't know, and considering the "media fame" and joking aspects you mention, unless the claims are directly attributed to him by verifiable sources, I would call them hearsay.
  - EvanKelly 14y ago
    I'm really not trying to drag Vayner through the mud any more than he already has been, but I thought I'd clarify why I think he was ridiculed. The ridicule against Vayner wasn't because he played tennis, lifted weights, practiced karate, or ballroom danced. The ridicule existed because he compiled these accomplishments into a video resume which he sent to UBS. He was ridiculed because he thought this was the best way to present himself to a potential employer and to many, came across as egotistical and pretentious. This video alone was enough to go viral, but add to it the fact that there was evidence that a lot of the claims in his video and resume were falsified makes the story even more outrageous.

droithomme 14y ago

Some of these stories such as the nuclear waste one came from stories from people who met him at Yale, and reported in the Yale campus tabloid Rumpus. Jordan Bass, an acquaintance seems to be the source for several of the outrageous ones which were told in the context of Bulldog Days, an official Yale event featuring illegal underage drinking for high school seniors that were accepted. It's pretty clear that most of what he said at this event, assuming he said it at all, was intended as a joke. After it got written up in the campus newspaper and people knew him for this it seems he continued with the joke during his time there since people obviously greatly enjoyed it. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/23/061023ta_talk_mcgrath http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/23/061023ta_talk_mc... * taught tennis to Jerry Seinfeld and Harrison Ford * a specialist in Chinese orthopedic massage * the Dalai Lama wrote his college recommendation * he is an action star * he is an espionage expert * he is a professional athlete * he practices on the C.I.A. firing range * he participates in martial-arts competitions in a secret system of tunnels underneath Woodstock, New York * he competes at skiing competitions in Switzerland * he worked for the Russian Mafia forging passports * won two games in a tennis match against Pete Sampras * founded a charity for troubled kids * wrote a book called "Women’s Silent Tears: A Unique Gendered Perspective on the Holocaust" * is a professional male model * must register his hands as lethal weapons at airports * is one of four people licensed to handle nuclear waste in the state of Connecticut * has killed two dozen men in Tibetan gladiatorial contests My take? He was an awesome guy.

EvanKelly 14y ago
Some of these things (charity for troubled kids, holocaust book) appear in his non-video resume which he sent to the investment banks. In the context of a huge elaborate joke about himself, this guy is easily someone I would have liked to hang out with, purely for the entertainment factor. I'm liable to believe it was a little bit of both.
pepr 14y ago
It's somewhat sad given the circumstances, but this reads as one of those Chuck Norris lists.
- Tichy 14y ago
  If Chuck Norris can do it, some other human can do it, too.
guylhem 14y ago
I can not comment on things I did not see. As I said, I read the article (and the posted video), didn't know the details or the story beforehand. I'm not usually interested in gossip - but with the news, it was interesting to try and understand the reasons of what looks like another suicide. In the video, I see him breaking bricks and lifting weights, armwrestling etc. All this is quite possible for me, and no reason to be ridiculed against. Physical prowess is a good thing! The rest I don't know, and considering the "media fame" and joking aspects you mention, unless the claims are directly attributed to him by verifiable sources, I would call them hearsay.
- EvanKelly 14y ago
  I'm really not trying to drag Vayner through the mud any more than he already has been, but I thought I'd clarify why I think he was ridiculed. The ridicule against Vayner wasn't because he played tennis, lifted weights, practiced karate, or ballroom danced. The ridicule existed because he compiled these accomplishments into a video resume which he sent to UBS. He was ridiculed because he thought this was the best way to present himself to a potential employer and to many, came across as egotistical and pretentious. This video alone was enough to go viral, but add to it the fact that there was evidence that a lot of the claims in his video and resume were falsified makes the story even more outrageous.