Then he went over the expectations. Maximize efficiency. Positive, “can do” attitude. No ego, productive, high return on time. When he was explaining the fourth expectation—kindness, professionalism, going the extra mile—I found myself diving headlong into the rapids. He said he cared deeply about doing the right thing. About morality. Before Carbon I had told myself I would never get emotionally involved with work or school again. I had been burned before by loving institutions that did not love me back; by believing that goodness and equity and justice were possible at places with elite reputations and capitalist interests to protect. Since middle school, I had valued maximizing my day (defined primarily by the quantity and quality of work completed) alongside, and equally with, being a good person. In no way did I flawlessly achieve these goals, but I tried. I cared. And Boone—he appeared to be those two values incarnate.

It was then, toward the end of my first sit with Boone on my first day of work, I became a believer again. I believed in the possibility of good billionaires. I believed in good returns and good performance and that you and I and anyone who wanted to could be a good person at a hedge fund. I also believed that the game was about more than just money. Believing in him meant that I could luxuriate in my innocence, hold on to ideals. I did not have to restructure my understanding of the world.