Article
What’s Your Lazard I.Q.?

By: Scott Lasser
May/June 2007 , Page 28

Since hitting bookstores in April, William D. Cohan’s The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co. has already become this decade’s required reading in the dealmaking community. In stunning, sometimes sordid detail, the book traces the exploits of the firm’s “great men,” from Michel David-Weill to Felix Rohatyn, Steve Rattner and Bruce Wasserstein. It’s all there, from accounts of the first million-dollar merger-advisor fee to the murder of Edouard Stern at the hand of his lover/call girl. At 752 pages (and 2.4 pounds), The Last Tycoons isn’t exactly fast reading. Still, before you try to get away with skimming, you might want to take this pop quiz.

1) The original Lazard Frères business was:

A) Currency trading
B) Theatrical production
C) A restaurant
D) Dry goods

2) Felix Rohatyn was born in what city?

A) Paris
B) Vienna
C) St. Louis
D) New York

3) Lazard received the first million-dollar merger-advisor fee for which transaction?

A) McDonnell Douglas
B) Avis/ITT
C) ITT/ABC
D) Gulf + Western

4) Under Michel David-Weill, bonus time was called:

A) Lazard Largesse
B) Silly Season
C) Gut the Pig
D) Beat Me, Pay Me

5) Before becoming a banker, Steve Rattner was a reporter for which paper?

A) The New York Times
B) The New York Post
C) The National Enquirer
D) The Daily Forward

6) Felix Rohatyn retired from Lazard to become:

A) U.S. ambassador to France
B) A movie producer
C) Secretary of the Treasury
D) President of Princeton University

7) Former Lazard CEO Bill Loomis is currently:

A) Working at Merrill
B) Running his own boutique
C) Working on a Ph.D. in American history
D) Retired on the French Riviera

8) When Edouard Stern’s murdered body was found by authorities, what was he wearing?

A) A Gieves & Hawkes bespoke pinstripe suit
B) A latex body suit
C) An authentic Paul O’Neill New York Yankees uniform
D) A negligee

9) Bruce Wasserstein’s first wife was awarded a divorce settlement of:

A) $3,000
B) $300,000
C) $3 million
D) $30 million

10) In its attempt to prop up Lazard stock after its IPO, Goldman Sachs ended up owning what percentage of the firm?

A) 5
B) 7
C) 10
D) 17

Answers:

1) D
2) B
3) A
4) B
5) A
6) A
7) C
8) C
9) A
10) A

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1 COMMENTS

Posted by alexpops - Jul 19 2007 @ 1:49 PM
Re: What’s Your Lazard I.Q.? recheck your answer to 8.

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