Goldman Sachs Executive’s “Why I Am Leaving” Op-Ed Gets Parodied

Melissa Knowles

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An executive for the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs announced his resignation by writing an op-ed piece in the New York Times entitled "Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs." Greg Smith, formerly the executive director and head of the firm's United States equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, wrote that he was so dismayed by the current state of the banking business, he just could not be a part of it anymore.

Smith recalls starting with the company as an intern 12 years ago while he was a student at Stanford. Smith says the root of the problem is that the "interests of the client continue to be sidelined in the way the firm operates and thinks about making money." He further states that Goldman Sachs is "too integral in global finance to continue to act this way."

Smith says that the culture of the firm was all about "teamwork, integrity, a spirit of humility, and always doing right by our clients," but now the environment has become "toxic."

It did not take long for parodies of the original open letter to pop up online. So far, one of the most popular is the Daily Mash's "Why I am Leaving the Empire," written by Darth Vader. The Lord of the Dark Side complains that "throttling people with your mind continues to be sidelined in the way the firm operates and thinks about making people dead."

There are also more spoof resignation letters, including: "Why I Am Leaving Sea World," "Why I Am Leaving McDonald's," and "Why I Am Leaving Wal-Mart."

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A new species of frog has been discovered in an unlikely place--New York City. The amphibian is a variation of the leopard frog, and its original habitat appears to be in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The new species was first found on Staten Island in 2009, but it has taken around three years to be identified as unique because it looks so similar to the traditional leopard frog.

So what sets this new frog apart from its cousins? It uses a single-chuckle mating call. Plus, DNA tests confirmed that it is genetically distinct. Jeremy Feinberg, the lead scientist who found the frog, is in charge of naming the creature, but he has not released his choice just yet. Feinberg did say he thought about calling the new species "New York leopard frogs," but he thinks "people in New Jersey and Connecticut will protest." He says he wants to "balance the politics with the naming."