The identity of the mystery tweeter @GSElevator has been exposed. For three years, the Twitter account has entertained over 500,000 followers with witty, profane one-liners reportedly overheard in the elevators at Goldman Sachs.
Fake Twitter identities proliferate online. So do imposter and parody accounts. @GSElevator’s profile page has a thumbnail picture of Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein and this profile description:
Things heard in the Goldman Sachs elevators do not stay in the Goldman Sachs elevators. Email what you hear to elevatorgoldman@gmail.com.
Andrew Ross Sorkin broke the story.
“The Twitter account, which has an audience of more than 600,000 followers, has been the subject of an internal inquiry at Goldman to find the rogue employee. The tweets, often laced with insider references to deals in the news, appeal to both Wall Street bankers and outsiders who mock the industry. Late last month, the writer sold a book about Wall Street culture based on the tweets for a six-figure sum,” he reported.
The book contract confirms Twitter’s power to showcase original content that attracts huge audiences. Next fall, Touchstone will release “Straight to Hell: True Tales of Deviance and Excess in the World of Investment Banking,” from the once-anonymous @GSElevator tweeter.
That book deal is now off.