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We all know how many people get jobs because of connections... No, I don't think we all know this. Most of the people I know did not get jobs through family co

We all know how many people get jobs because of connections... No, I don't think we all know this. Most of the people I know did not get jobs through family connections. I suspect a trend analysis would show that the number of high-income workers who achieved their position through nepotism or some other form of non-achievement-based social connection is declining, not rising. We're social animals, and "connections" will always be valuable. I don't see any evidence that D.E. Shaw treated Wyden's son differently because they wanted something out of his father.

rayiner 13y ago
Ron Wyden is a Stanford graduate. His son Adam is a graduate of Wharton undergrad and Columbia business school. Plenty of people similarly situated get a DE Shaw internship who don't have a senator for a father. I'm sure the name didn't hurt, but what kind of favor can be cashed in offering someone's son an internship he's qualified for anyway?
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
  - rayiner 13y ago
    Like I said, I'm sure the name helped. But lots of Wharton undergrads get internships with DE Shaw or similar firms over the summer. Firms like DE Shaw hire dozens of interns each summer. They use their summer programs to meet their entry level hiring needs.
- judk 13y ago
  Of course, his Wharton admission was not independent of family status. It can benhard to separate government corruption from general privilege, though.