On Wall Street, a High-Ranking Few Still Avoid Email (reuters.com)

The world may be increasingly becoming digital, but a small group of the Wall Street elite refuses to say anything substantive in an email, text, or chat, and some will not communicate digitally at all. From a Reuters report: This group, which includes top bankers like JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon and powerful investors like Carl Icahn and Berkshire Hathaway Inc's Warren Buffett, were eschewing electronic communications long before the probe of U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's emails and the recent hacks of her campaign manager's account made headlines. Some on Wall Street are nostalgic for a time when in-person conversations or phone calls were the norm, but others believe the words they type and send can come back to haunt them. Prosecutors have built insider trading, mortgage fraud and rate-rigging cases on embarrassing emails over the past several years, and they are often the most memorable part. Recent email woes among Washington power players have provided yet another reason for bankers to try to protect private correspondence from prying eyes. Dimon uses email but is known to keep his replies short and factual, favoring "yes," "no" and "thank you."

Comments

Re:Smart move

[Archangel Michael]

I have a phrase, it is quite useful: "Can I get that in Email?"

If the answer is "no", then I assume I am free to ignore that request. Since they have no record of the request, then they have ability to fire me for not following said request. It is really easy to play that game, you just have to play along. The issue is, you have to play it 100% of the time.

And if they ever try to "Get" you, you play dumb, "I don't recall".

The other thing I find useful is sending an email with a "brief summary" of whatever meeting it was. If they don't respond, then that is tacit acknowledgement the summary is accurate, and it becomes official record. Any non-written "clarification" would be followed up with same.

The problem is, far too many people find sleazy as an acceptable practice in organizations, and actively participate in the sleaze. Don't participate and you have nothing to worry about.