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Goldman Sachs elevator Twitter account is really just a Texas banker

Goldman Sachs elevator Twitter account is really just a Texas banker

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Another of your favorite viral Twitter accounts isn't quite what it seems. It turns out that GS Elevator Gossip, which has been tweeting crass remarks that it claims were straight from the mouths of Goldman Sachs' wealthy employees for almost three years now, is actually run by a man in Texas who has never worked for Goldman Sachs, reports DealBook. The account's operator is reportedly 34-year-old John Lefevre, a former bond executive who wanted to share some of his stories and experiences with Wall Street culture.

"I saw a group of people that aren't as impressive as I thought they were."

"I went into investment banking and I saw a group of people that aren’t as impressive as I thought they were — or as impressive as they thought they were," Lefevre tells DealBook. "They defined themselves as human beings by their jobs." Though Lefevre lives in Texas today, he reportedly did live in New York, where Goldman Sachs is headquartered, while working for Citigroup in the early 2000s.

Lefevre's posts from @GSElevator have garnered thousands of retweets for their crude depictions of Wall Street behavior. "I don't have an iPhone case. I'm not irresponsible or poor," reads one recent tweet. Lefevre apparently didn't intend to mock his subjects, but it's hard not to see the account as putting bankers in a decidedly poor light.

Unlike @Horse_ebooks, which exposed itself as the work of two performance artists rather than an automated bot as widely rumored, the truth behind @GSElevator isn't coming out because its writer is finally ready to step out from behind the curtain. DealBook managed to track down Lefevre, who admitted to running the account. It seems that others had begun suspecting him for several months now too. "Frankly, I’m surprised it has taken this long," he told DealBook. "I knew this day would come."

It's not clear if Lefevre intends to continue operating @GSElevator now that the truth is out. Even if he does, the revelation isn't likely to ruin all of the fun — as Lefevre suggests, the account's appeal was more about the culture it showed than the specific institution it was tied to. And whether the account continues or not, there'll still be more humor in the same vain to come: DealBook reports that Lefevre is writing a book based on his tweets for Touchstone.

Though some fans may be disappointed by Lefevre's unmasking, Goldman Sachs, at least, appears happy to learn that @GSElevator's writer isn't one of its own. A spokesperson tells DealBook in a statement: "We are pleased to report that the official ban on talking in elevators will be lifted effective immediately."