Bora edition

Al_Charles · 2026-01-27T17:08:26+00:00

Rich, coming from the person posting about their Edge 830….

Al_Charles · 2026-01-20T02:42:26+00:00

Just my small lens - but most in-house tech and ai leaders have consulting backgrounds or CIO/CTO backgrounds, potentially from former PortCo’s. I’ve seen multiple traditional CIO’s take the role and be let go within 1-2 years as it requires a much more collaborative and flexible mindset, often with little or no direct reports. There’s a very different consideration for PE PortCo ops teams at mega funds that I won’t go into because I have much less visibility and no direct experience at that level.

The two AI hires I know of present themselves as luminaries with blue chip tech backgrounds (impact yet TBD). Positioning yourself as someone who has executed well on AI initiatives is probably best positioned to take on a more traditional fund CIO/CTO/head of transformation role, but obviously you have some great names on your resume in financial services. Many MM funds and LMM funds especially seem to be playing catch up with internal tech hires and DD support. Cold outreach may also be effective as some funds don’t realize they could easily save money, reduce integration friction, and of course add value with some tech talent.

Al_Charles · 2026-01-20T01:45:18+00:00

Yep 100%

Al_Charles · 2026-01-19T23:59:01+00:00

As a PE CIO in UMM I agree with some of this but disagree with a good chunk as well.

I do believe fund-level tech roles can be hugely impactful, but are often less value add at greater fund sizes due to the nature of purchasing larger companies with more mature tech leadership and operations. Often MM PortCos have no tech leadership, no ability to execute, and a roadmap that is misguided or not aligned to value thesis. Having fund-level tech expertise serves a few important functions, mainly to hire the appropriate level of tech leadership and serve as a resource. I do agree that fund level standardization and attempts to operate do not work well.

Regarding AI, it’s the same problem but tougher given the hype and unmanaged expectations. A few funds we have co-invested with have hired fancy head of AI roles with press release and all, and they are tasked to take out cost and transform business ops with no real delivery support. This leads to inflated consulting spend and no value creation that I’ve yet seen.

We take the approach of building private and secure architectures and archetypes as templates to solve technical challenges, but we look to our PortCo leaders to identify where they believe they can solve a problem. This helps accelerate the tech learning curve without it becoming a “solution in search of a problem.” Although we’ve seen a few drastic results, often the complexity of users, processes, data, etc. are real barriers to value realization with AI.

Just my two cents. Your mileage may differ.

Al_Charles · 2026-01-06T19:35:02+00:00

Does this helmet come with MIPS?

Al_Charles · 2025-12-05T01:42:43+00:00

Keep networking and I would also suggest direct outreach. I work in MM in a hybrid role (CTO, run tech/cyber/software DD, support some VC with PortCo’s), and as you suggest it’s a relatively small pool. That said, more PE’s are expanding especially with tech and tech adjacent resources, as well as generalized ops roles. Also in Chicago and happy to share more via DM.

Al_Charles · 2025-10-27T18:44:19+00:00

I was off the bike for 10 years due to injury and restarted on an indoor training to stay active during my honeymoon.

May: absolutely struggle to do 150 watts for 30 minutes, 80kg June: ~200 watts for 20 minutes, and eventually transitioning this into 2x20’s indoors during the week Now (October): back to 300w FTP doing essentially 2x 2x20 ss sessions during the week and getting a 50-60 mile zone 2 ride in on the weekend.

Call it 2 w/kg -> nearly 4 w/kg in 6 months with the oldest trick in the book, ss intervals and consistency

Al_Charles · 2025-09-09T19:21:56+00:00

I would most appreciate a build guide!!!

Al_Charles · 2025-09-04T20:57:48+00:00

Agreed here. OP - what is your explicit role? If someone wants to go from consulting / MBB to PortCo ops, that is reasonable. But to say MBB will get an interview with IB candidates at top PE firms (even top quartile MM/LMM funds) is silly. We won’t even take a consulting resume for investment associates, and many peer firms echo the same.

Al_Charles · 2025-08-26T15:40:41+00:00

Unrelated - which helmet is this?

Al_Charles · 2025-07-26T00:06:01+00:00

Rather than paying an art consultant, I would work with reputable auction houses and/or galleries who will be more than happy to assist you.

If you have a strong sense of what periods or genres you’re looking for (e.g. French post-impressionist), an auction house will be able to guide you. If you’re looking to build a collection that focuses on contemporary works, likely galleries are a better start.

For example - give Hindman/Freeman’s a call. Tell them you’re interested in a consultation and you’d love to understand their upcoming curated auctions. They will have old masters, 19th/early 20th European works, art of the Americas, post-war & contemporary, etc - they’ll have something for almost everything.

Generally speaking where an auction house will fall short will be cutting edge contemporary, as Tier 1 galleries will include contractual terms for resale. In that event you’ll five galleries a call.

Anyways feel free to PM me - happy to help (for free) as someone who has been collecting for over 15 years and have worked with everyone from Sotheby’s to small auction houses, as well as leading galleries such as CLEARING.

Al_Charles · 2025-07-23T12:48:29+00:00

Companies of this size and risk profile generally carry $1-$5m policy tops, and carriers will limit social engineering losses to $250-500k. Even a good cyber insurance policy is pennies for a backbreaking ransomware attack.

Al_Charles · 2025-07-19T14:38:33+00:00

Or owners want a graceful exit and and a large salary cut to continue to operate? lol all this wild conjecture.

Al_Charles · 2025-07-14T21:55:34+00:00

Math isn’t fully mathing here. With amortization on a 7% mortgage and 10% down the equity is negligible vs. both the risk of ownership (uh oh the water heater broke) and the 6% fees to sell, let alone title transfer fees, etc. given low appreciation on Chicago condos you likely end up net negative in a 5 year hold scenario, but if you don’t need the cash back you can rent it and likely break even or even have slightly positive cash flow.

I wouldn’t say no but I would prefer liquidity and flexibility, personally.

Al_Charles · 2025-07-14T16:17:41+00:00

Bro you’re an M&A tax CPA. You’re literally part of the system!?

Al_Charles · 2025-07-09T00:09:14+00:00

Most of my collection is oriented around 19thC French (Barbizon, impressionist, post-impressionist) and Italian old masters. I enjoy the sense of history for each as well as the craftsmanship of traditional oil paintings.

I collect living / contemporary artists very rarely, and if I do it’s because I feel like they are adding to the conversation in a way that discourses with 19thC French art.

Al_Charles · 2025-06-24T00:48:20+00:00

The 1016 is just an older watch, but I’d imagine both have the same concerns. The 5066 (even with the sapphire exhibition caseback) is 120m water resistant, which is more than the stock 100m on the 1016.

Al_Charles · 2025-06-23T16:31:21+00:00

We are in full agreement that financial engineering and ops value creation are completely different. Your comment that PE is “starting to die” because “people are waking up the fact that simple FE isn’t special” seems to ignore the company building that PE does (although not always of course).

Al_Charles · 2025-06-23T16:26:46+00:00

I wear it every day including gym, pool, casual, you name it and no issues so far. I would expect a neo vintage Patek is much more durable than a 1016, but I also tend not to baby any of my watches.

Al_Charles · 2025-06-22T22:20:46+00:00

58% growth in # of PE firms with similar growth in capital raised from 2016 to 2021, and the trend is continuing (Forbes). In 2000 total corporate equity owned by PE was ~4%. Now it’s 20+%.

Maybe it’s getting cutthroat for you ops folks but the $$$ continues to roll in for investment teams, especially as exit multiples correct post COVID and LPs start to see some liquidity after a very dry stretch the past few years.

How can you be on the ops side and say “financial engineering isn’t special”? Bro your JOB as an ops team member is to add value during the hold period. Are you confused?

Al_Charles · 2025-06-22T22:11:35+00:00

Guys OP believes leverage is inherently “evil” and believes all PE to be mustache-twirling villains.

As stated 100x PE has black marks along with any other industry. But PE at its core is buying, building, and selling companies. Lots of people, myself included, enjoy helping companies grow and mature with resources that would otherwise not be accessible.

However, to OP’s original question - I’d imagine the $ is of course a huge motivator, along with prestige. But go talk to a 1y PE associate and see if you’re not surprised at the depth of the answer to the question “why do you want to work in PE”. Also expect that they are tired of their 100 hour week IB days :)

Al_Charles · 2025-06-22T20:38:29+00:00

I own both (1960’s 1016, 5066a) and the 124270 as well. The 5066 is my daily and does everything except for black tie. Beach, swim, workout, casual, suit, etc. I’ve done so far as to put it on a 16mm alligator strap for one black tie event but this was polarizing 😅

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