The Rise of PE GUY: A Parody of Private Equity Culture
In a bizarre turn of events, Johnny Hilbrant, a 36-year-old fitness instructor from Winnetka, Illinois, has created an online persona that's sending shockwaves through the world of private equity. Dubbed "PE GUY," this over-the-top parody of the stereotypical obnoxious finance bro has taken social media by storm, racking up millions of followers and attracting the attention of industry insiders.
The story begins when Hilbrant became frustrated with the excessive flaunting of wealth at weddings and social gatherings among private equity professionals. So, he created PE GUY – a character that embodies everything the finance world loves to hate: entitled attitudes, ridiculous bragging rights, and an obsession with luxury goods.
In his Instagram posts, PE GUY boasts about vacations in exclusive locations, high-end schools attended by "the best kids," and even shares the name of his dog (Amalfi). His profile includes a wife, three children (Tarantino, Montauk, and EBITDA – yes, it's a finance acronym for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), and two golden retrievers.
PE GUY's popularity has sparked conversations within the industry, with some private equity professionals praising his humor as a "check" on the absurdity of high-stakes deal-making culture. "I'm very surprised by it," says Leah Berend, managing principal of Marrin Investment Partners. "The PE people I've heard from think it's funny."
As his online presence grew, so did Hilbrant's business ventures. He created a Cameo account, where fans can pay for videos featuring PE GUY roasting friends for $200 each. A tuxedo rental company even reached out to collaborate with him, and he sold out of over 300 hats emblazoned with "Decent" and "Due To My Role."
Hilbrant's collaboration with actor Brian Baumgartner on a promotional video for Ramp, a financial technology firm, has further solidified PE GUY's status as an unlikely industry darling. Perhaps most astonishingly, three separate private equity firms have expressed interest in partnering with Hilbrant to raise a private equity fund.
While Hilbrant hasn't revealed whether he'll use his newfound success to leave the fitness industry behind, fans of PE GUY are eager to see how this parody will continue to unfold.
In a bizarre turn of events, Johnny Hilbrant, a 36-year-old fitness instructor from Winnetka, Illinois, has created an online persona that's sending shockwaves through the world of private equity. Dubbed "PE GUY," this over-the-top parody of the stereotypical obnoxious finance bro has taken social media by storm, racking up millions of followers and attracting the attention of industry insiders.
The story begins when Hilbrant became frustrated with the excessive flaunting of wealth at weddings and social gatherings among private equity professionals. So, he created PE GUY – a character that embodies everything the finance world loves to hate: entitled attitudes, ridiculous bragging rights, and an obsession with luxury goods.
In his Instagram posts, PE GUY boasts about vacations in exclusive locations, high-end schools attended by "the best kids," and even shares the name of his dog (Amalfi). His profile includes a wife, three children (Tarantino, Montauk, and EBITDA – yes, it's a finance acronym for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), and two golden retrievers.
PE GUY's popularity has sparked conversations within the industry, with some private equity professionals praising his humor as a "check" on the absurdity of high-stakes deal-making culture. "I'm very surprised by it," says Leah Berend, managing principal of Marrin Investment Partners. "The PE people I've heard from think it's funny."
As his online presence grew, so did Hilbrant's business ventures. He created a Cameo account, where fans can pay for videos featuring PE GUY roasting friends for $200 each. A tuxedo rental company even reached out to collaborate with him, and he sold out of over 300 hats emblazoned with "Decent" and "Due To My Role."
Hilbrant's collaboration with actor Brian Baumgartner on a promotional video for Ramp, a financial technology firm, has further solidified PE GUY's status as an unlikely industry darling. Perhaps most astonishingly, three separate private equity firms have expressed interest in partnering with Hilbrant to raise a private equity fund.
While Hilbrant hasn't revealed whether he'll use his newfound success to leave the fitness industry behind, fans of PE GUY are eager to see how this parody will continue to unfold.
Johnny Hilbrant is a genius and I can see why private equity insiders are obsessed with him now . It's about time someone poked fun at the stereotypical finance bro culture and made it entertaining . His business ventures on Cameo, tuxedo rentals, and hats are genius too ! 
Can't wait to see what other surprises PE GUY has in store for us.
I'm literally dying over this! Pe Guy is like the ultimate troll for finance bros 
? And can we talk about how relatable his wife sounds with three kids named Tarantino and Montauk? That's my grandma's name too! 
lol anyway, it'll be interesting to see if pe guy becomes a real industry player or just stays as this hilarious parody
This whole thing is wild! Like, I was following some finance threads and suddenly PE GUY drops in and steals the show 
. He's like a trainwreck you can't look away from, but also kinda entertaining? The guy raking it in off Cameo vids and tuxedo rentals is insane 
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. His post engagement rate is like 20% higher than average for finance influencers 
. The funniest part? He's got a whole "family" with his wife and kids who are basically just his co-stars 
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. Like, people are actually thinking, "Hey, maybe we need some humor to balance out all the seriousness?" 
. Anyway, I'm down for more PE GUY content 
!
It's amazing to see how PE GUY has brought some much-needed humor to an industry that can be pretty serious. I'm definitely checking out more of his content – who knows, maybe he'll become the new face of private equity irreverence 
At first, I thought it was just some dude trying to troll the finance world, but now I get it - he's actually exposing the absurdity of private equity culture for what it is! 
. Anyway, I'm rooting for PE GUY to keep on roasting and making people laugh – it's a breath of fresh air in a world that can sometimes take itself way too seriously 
and I'm like, why not? We need more weirdness in our lives, right? Speaking of weirdness, have you ever noticed that dog treats are always made by these tiny, cute companies with names that sound like they were made up by a 5-year-old? Like, "Pupperoni Pup Bites" or something 
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but for real though, it's kinda crazy how one person can make an entire industry crack a smile 
and i'm low-key impressed that he's making bank off of this character 
. Either way, I'm here for it! The idea that some PE pros are actually entertained by this caricature of themselves is pretty funny too. Like, what's next? A parody of accountants? 
It's hilarious to see someone turn the tables on an industry known for being super stuffy. And can we talk about how funny it is to see a finance bro bragging about his dog's name? 
Anyway, I think this is a brilliant move by Johnny Hilbrant to create a character that pokes fun at himself and his experience in private equity. Can't wait to see what else he comes up with! 
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. And who knows? Maybe this will be the start of something bigger... like a PE GUY merchandise line or even a podcast 