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The Smartest Kid in the Room

Jan 14 2008

Back to: Is Bruce Wasserstein Finally Right?

Wasserstein with some of his key associates at Wasserstein Perella: Frederic Seegal (standing), Michael Biondi (left), and Jeffrey Rosen, photographed in 1998.
Wasserstein and his wife, Claude, on opening night at New York's Metropolitan Opera, 2006.
Wendy Wasserstein and her daughter, Lucy, in 2003.
Wasserstein and Carl Icahn, February 7, 2006, pitching their ill-fated plan to break up Time Warner.
A markedly less polished Wasserstein, in 1981, when he worked at First Boston.
Michel David-Weill
Wasserstein's former M&A partner, Joseph Perella.
Henry Kravis
Steven ­Rattner, the previous C.E.O. of Lazard.
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Still the Smartest Kid in the Room
Bruce Wasserstein (seated, center) with some of his key associates at Wasserstein Perella: Frederic Seegal (standing), Michael Biondi (left), and Jeffrey Rosen (right), photographed in 1998. Wasserstein, the man you didn't want anywhere near your deal by the time the '80s were winding down, is now the C.E.O. and largest shareholder of 160-year-old Lazard.
Personal Charm
Wasserstein and his wife, Claude, on opening night at New York's Metropolitan Opera, 2006.
Still Grieving
Wendy Wasserstein and her daughter, Lucy, in 2003. Bruce Wasserstein is still grieving—but refuses to discuss this publicly—over his sister Wendy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, who passed away in 2006.
Ill-Fated
Wasserstein and Carl Icahn, February 7, 2006, pitching their ill-fated plan to break up Time Warner.
Less Polished
A markedly less polished Wasserstein, in 1981, when he worked at the investment bank First Boston. He is now slim, and the famously rumpled suit and untucked shirt have been replaced by tailored wool and crisp linen.
Not in Wasserstein's Life
Lazard heir Michel David-Weill (pictured) lured Wasserstein to the firm and got an unexpected push toward retirement for his efforts.
First Partner
Wasserstein's former M&A partner, Joseph Perella, whom Wasserstein started working with at First Boston, where he literally wrote the book on corporate mergers, Corporate Finance Law: A Guide for the Executive, in 1978.
Preemptive Strike
Financier Henry Kravis, who once hired Wasserstein just to keep him out of a deal.
Ex-Chief
Steven Rattner, the previous C.E.O. of Lazard.

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