With the exception of yesterday’s code red, we generally like to stay away from reporting gossip, especially that of the salacious variety. It strikes us as kind of mean-spirited, off topic, and disrespectful to everyone involved, especially ourselves and our liberal arts educations. Which was why we were ready to let the whole Maria. B/Todd T. story die with yesterday’s news, and get back to more high-brow pursuits, including but certainly not limited to nonstop Amaranth coverage (which has admittedly slowed down, with the absence of Monsieur Carney), the Wharton Lauder Institute’s MBA All-Star Team, and who’s nailing whom at Davos (hint: Bono has an inexplicable taste for anyone with his/her own search engine company). But that resolution went to hell when we were notified that our moral compass, the Wall Street Journal, had decided to get in on the action. So jump on the smut train with us because we are rolling out of the station circa now.
Everyone knows about the infamous flight from Beijing (which the Post has been good enough to crunch some numbers on this morning). Citi CEO Charles Prince, who’d been trying to cut costs, was understandably ticked about it, etc, etc, etc. But, obviously, there’s more.
1.According to the Journal, post-plane incident, Prince instructed Thomson to not spend any Citi money “on anything involving Ms. Bartiromo” (edible undies, though a fraction of the transpacific, transcontinental flight, presumably included).
2.Instead of not spending any Citi money on “anything involving Ms. Bartiromo, Thomson (who apparently gets off on big slaps to the face) notified his boss that he’d signed Citi up to sponsor a Sundance Channel show hosted by Robert Redford and, drum roll, please: Maria Bartiromo.
3.Thomson, who, previous to his post at Citi, had dreams of a career in interior design, had a wood-burning fireplace installed in his office, which he rationalized to associates by claiming it added “drama.” The fireplace was fish tank-adjacent. The office was dubbed “Todd Mahal” by Citi employees.
TIGHTENING THE BELT: In Citigroup Ouster, A Battle Over Expenses [WSJ]