The King of Short Selling

Marcus Black noticed Ethan Lin because of a mistake. It happened in September, three weeks after Ethan's internship ended and two days before his temporary badge expired. Hastings Rowe had offered no full-time position. Trevor said headcount was frozen. Human resources said the firm would keep him in mind. Ellen Shaw took him to coffee and apologized without using the word apology. "You have the work," she told him. "You don't have the packaging." "Can packaging be learned?" "Yes. But not by people who think it is beneath them." Ethan understood. On Wall Street, being right was a feature. Being presentable was distribution. A brilliant idea without distribution died in a folder. A mediocre idea with distribution moved billions.