A fresh crop of would-be financiers files in the towering doors of Blackstone, one of the largest private equity firms in the world, every summer, their eyes filled with ambition and their hands clutching notebooks. These interns are not just summer workers — they are selected with care from top-tier schools and attend one of Wall Street’s most competitive internship programs.
But, more than just spreadsheets, pitch decks and financial models, they’re handed something potentially far more valuable: personal career advice from Blackstone’s billionaire co-founder and CEO Steve Schwarzman.
And the message is at once strikingly human and eminently applicable.
The Intern Class of 2025: One for the History Books
Blackstone this year brought in more than 250 summer analysts and associates across the private equity, credit, real estate and technology divisions. As the world of finance continues to be transformed by AI, ESG and a post-pandemic economy these interns are entering a complex and high-stakes environment.
But no matter how sophisticated the tools or how tempestuous the markets, Schwarzman’s annual remarks to the incoming class center on one timeless truth: That it all comes down to people.
Steve Schwarzman’s Golden Rule: “Be the Person Everyone Wants to Work With”
At a firm known for stringent standards, extreme performance and relentless hours, you might assume that the advice would be about technical excellence. But Schwarzman flips the narrative.
His advice?
“Be the guy everyone wants to work with.
That is pretty simple advice, but the stakes are high at a place like Blackstone, where cooperation and trust carry as much weight as talent and smarts.
Whether you are an analyst crunching numbers or a partner closing deals, how well you work with others—respectfully, responsively and consistently—can make or break your career.
Why This Advice Is More Urgent Than Ever
In the fast-paced, tech-driven corporate world we live in today, it can be easy to lose sight of what’s important — metrics, automation and making everything hyper-efficient. But as Schwarzman notes, financial success (and in every other field) is based in human relationships.
- Teams outperform individuals.
- Trust builds long-term value.
- Empathy creates stronger leaders.
Young professionals who develop these characteristics early, however, get more than just good marks: They become the type of people others want to promote, refer and emulate.
Blackstone’s High-Stakes Culture and Opportunity
An internship at Blackstone isn’t your typical summer job. They’re expecting their interns to jump in with both feet, make a meaningful contribution and learn the culture rapidly. Some of these roles act as pipelines to full-time jobs or tickets to another high-paying and high-prestige career.
But that opportunity also gets applied a lot of pressure. Interns are presented with high expectations, long hours and the competition of working among the cream of the crop. In that sense, Schwarzman offers the closest thing Carter has to a career-saving anchor: stay humble, stay teachable and never forget that you’re working with people, not just numbers.
Mentorship and Legacy
The summer interns are not where Steve Schwarzman’s mentorship stops. Over his decadeslong career, he’s mentored dozens of executives and aspiring leaders not just in formal ways, but also leading by example.
How he went from suburban Pennsylvania to building Blackstone into a global investment colossus is one of the great tales of ambition and drive. But it’s even more, a reminder that the way you treat others determines how far you get.
For aspiring interns who dream of one day running companies, funds or their own ventures, this message is priceless: Character compounds faster than capital.
Every summer intern at Blackstone arrives aiming for success. But the most enduring lessons are not always embedded in the data; they’re found in the culture, mentorship and wisdom of anyone who has built something lasting.
Steve Schwarzman’s good counsel — and, let it be said, the man has given enough of it over the years for free to buy some title insurance in these parts — “be that person people want to work with,” isn’t career advice. It’s a template for professional and personal development, whatever the business you’re in.
Whether you’re spending your summer as an intern with a multinational corporation or launching your career at the neighborhood office, one thing is certain: relationships are the smartest investment you can make.
