John F. W. Rogers, some say, is “the single most powerful person at Goldman Sachs,” and has been for the last decade. The man behind the man behind the man. The Wizard of GS. The guy who Lloyd Blankfein was actually referring to when he said “We’re just doing god’s work.” Known as a “master tactician with a long record of behind-the-scenes accomplishments…for whom invisibility is part of a master plan,” Rogers, who came to the firm from Washington in 1994 with zero Wall Street experience, is an executive officer who sits on the management committee and has served as “chief of staff” to three CEOs: Blankfein, Paulson and Corzine, JSC being his first, on the recommendation of Bob Rubin. While his title is somewhat vague, Rogers is known as “the foremost guardian of Goldman’s partnership culture,” a man with not just gold-plated balls but crystal ones (“He said there would be some investigations and we would likely be the primary focus,” says Lucas van Praag. “He was right.”) and the guy you don’t want to fuck with (“If wronged, his vengeance can kill careers.”). Not convinced? Then answer this: would a guy with anything less than god-like power be able to pull off this? Continue reading »