Changed My Mind, Now I Like Raj

The Wall Street Journal  had a huge story about Raj Rajnaratnam, the Galleon Fund insider trader, and while his actions were despicable, ya gotta love his sense of humor…

From the WSJ via Dealbreaker:

The hedge fund community has been (potentially) robbed of a tremendous human being: “At Galleon, Mr. Rajaratnam took his fondness for pranks and dares to a new level. When executives from stun-gun maker Taser International Inc. came to make an investment pitch around 2005, Mr. Rajaratnam offered $5,000 to anyone who’d agree to be shocked. Employees gathered around as two people propped up trader Keryn Limmer at the elbows and another person fired the weapon. Ms. Limmer’s legs buckled beneath her from the shock. Ms. Limmer declined to comment. That same year, employees arrived at Galleon’s morning meeting to a surprise: In the conference room was a dwarf whom Mr. Rajaratnam introduced as an analyst hired to cover “small-cap” stocks. He was, in fact, an actor hired for an April Fool’s Day gag.”

Dwarves covering small-caps!  Raj for the win.

Sources:

Opening Bell (Dealbreaker)

The Man Who Wired Silicon Valley (WSJ)