"The former Pierpoint managing director, who recognized himself in American striver Harper Stern ( Myha'la), mentored and then sabotaged her, eventually lost his job at the British bank partially because of her scheming, and then went into business with her as one half of the short-only fund SternTao, has left the tumultuous world of finance behind. In Ken Leung's hands, Eric is one of Industry 's most compelling, conniving, and sympathetic figures,"
"He's the wise elder who's desperately lonely but also incredibly relatable as a victim of the capitalist system he once championed so zealously. Eric ruined other people's lives during his ascent to the top, and he's devastated to realize he feels just as empty there as he did below. All he wants to do is win - until, maybe, he also wants to be seen, as a person and as a partner, and that's ultimately Eric's downfall."
Eric Tao mentored then sabotaged Harper Stern, lost his managing director job at Pierpoint partly because of her scheming, and co-founded the short-only fund SternTao with her. He ultimately leaves the tumultuous world of finance behind. The character combines conniving ambition with sympathetic loneliness, a man who kept reaching for more without clear purpose. He ruined others' lives in his ascent, yet feels equally empty at the top. Persistent attraction to younger women leads to an awful exit: Tender CEO Whitney Halberstram blackmails him after a sexual encounter with Dolly Bird, who turns out to be a teenager. After confronting his shock and self-disgust, Eric keeps the blackmail secret and signs over his half of SternTao.
Read at Vulture
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]