The Complete Jim Simons Story
10 chapters chronicling his extraordinary life
From Childhood Wonder to MIT Brilliance
"I discovered as a very young kid, maybe four, something called Zeno's paradox... the idea that in principle you didn't have to run out of gas was a pr..."
Solving the 'Impossible' Problem
"He said, 'Don't work on that question... because it's too tough.' Well, of course that just sort of got me going...."
The NSA Years and Getting Fired
"I was 29 years old and some kid came around and said he was a stringer from Newsweek... I was fired five minutes after that. But it wasn't bad...."
Accidental Physics Revolution
"You never know where it's going to go. It is a mystery... Math certainly works. But this has been fun...."
The Pivot to Finance
"I got a little tired of mathematics. I was in my late 30s... I started trading and it went very well. I think it was pure luck...."
Assembling the Greatest Minds in Finance
"I didn't really know how to hire people to do fundamental trading... But I did know how to hire scientists, because I have some taste in that departme..."
Cracking the Market's Code
"The efficient market hypothesis is not correct... You're looking for anomalies. Any one anomaly might be random, but if you have enough data you can t..."
Algorithms, Costs, and Risk Management
"Prediction is only one part. You have to understand costs... and how to minimize volatility. That takes fairly sophisticated applied mathematics...."
Unprecedented Success and Wealth
"People got very mad: 'How can you charge such high fees?' I said, 'OK, you can withdraw.' But 'How can I get more?' was what people were asking...."
The Simons Foundation and Mathematical Philanthropy
"Basic science is the seed corn of our knowledge. You never know where it's going to go - but so often it comes back to save the day...."