IT executive at JP Morgan dies in fall from bank's London HQ A man who died in a fall from JP Morgan's headquarters in London yesterday has been named as Gabriel Magee, a senior IT programmer at the firm. The 39-year-old American had worked for the investment bank for ten years in both New York and London and was vice president in CIB Technology at the time of his death. "We are deeply …
quote: "You are a nasty little child, aren't you?"
Without knowing the exact circumstances or people involved, it would impossible to say whether making light of this death is unforgivable or to be celebrated.
I am going to hold off from either offering sympathy or making jokes until I find out if he was one of the demographics we're allowed to be nasty about (paedo, rapist, wife-beater, lawyer etc.). Until I have that information I can't be sure what the correct reponse is :/
I've worked for more than one company that's asked me to spice up my code to make it look like the company was making less money than they actually were and wondered about my health when I said no. I think the real reason the American Mafia is in decline is because normal business has made them redundant.
Well, its a new way of leaving because its tough at the top!!
Good job it wasn't a banker really, otherwise we'd have to assume there's another stock market crash about to happen...... Oh wait, there's limitless free money, the Dow's at 16800 and its unsupported by fundamentals. What could possibly go wrong?
Yes, about that
Disquieting news next to your breakfast cereal
After last week´s decision by HSBC to halt its policy of not honoring large withdrawal requests by depositors comes news of the Russian bank “My Bank” implementing its own run-protection measure.
“My Bank”, one of Russia´s top 200 lenders by assets, has introduced “a complete ban on cash withdrawals until next week.” In my discussion of HSBC´s similar policy here, I note that limiting redemption requests has been a measure to help fractional-reserve banks remain solvent since, well, the advent of fractional-reserve banking.
So there's this JPM IT guy. There's the Deutsche Bank exec who hanged himself in Kensington, both within days of each other, and days of reports of several banks all restricting people's access to withdrawing their money.
Maybe these two can see another major banking collapse within the next week or two and figured this was the best option rather than wait to see the global economic system flush itself down the toilet?
or, maybe it's just all coincidence
I find it a little disturbing that people make jokes about such a tragic incident especially as, being an IT guy, some of his family, friends and colleagues may be El Reg readers. Jokes are appropriate for stupid lawsuits, failed products and CEO gaffes not, it seems to me, untimely death. My thoughts go out to those suffering loss.
Is this even an outlet for free speech? You can say what ever you like anywhere you like, it does not give a requirement of TheRegister to keep it posted though. If done so in a public place, then everyone can listen if they wish, here there can be and are rules.
"Are you advocating censorship on the grounds of 'taste'?"
I'm not advocating censorship at all. People ARE free to express what they wish, as they wish. What I am doing is trying to __encourage__ posters to show some sympathy and compassion in their posts by their own free choice. Ultimately should you choose not to, that is __your__ choice just like expressing my concern, dislike and disagreement is __mine__.
"Perhaps it is a little disturbing, but gallows humour is common"
It is worth noting that just as society as moved on from the gallows and now considers such methods barbaric and uncivilized. Perhaps we should also move away from it's humour. Just because something is common does not make it right and just because something can be expressed, doesn't mean it should be.
"It is worth noting that just as society as moved on from the gallows and now considers such methods barbaric and uncivilized."
The reason that we no longer have a death penalty is that we no longer trust the police or the legal system. As for barbaric and uncivilised, I think killing certain types of people would be a boon to civilisations everywhere.
Did we have a free vote on whether or not we keep the death penalty?
I think I might have remembered a referendum on that. We had it decided for us by people that some on here besides myself, hold in very low regard.
I am sorry the man jumped. It was described as a fall but by the sound of the comments and the fact it is getting a low level of constabulation, the plod are not suspicious. I'm sorry anyone is so upset they feel "down" never mind act on the feeling. It is sad but you can't ever tell when people are suicidal until they are suicidal. Them's the breaks.
It is a high pressure world and getting worse.
"Are you advocating censorship on the grounds of 'taste'?"
If we all used self censorship on the grounds of taste perhaps moderators would not need to do so. I'm perfectly happy for this site to moderate comments on grounds of taste. It's common decency to do so. Many people have a notion of 'free speech' meaning you can say what you like. But you can't - there are laws that prevent many such utterances, as people decide through legislature that they don't want that happening.
There's a balance to be struck between 'anything goes' and totalitarian censorship
@apjanes - Thanks for the moderating comments.
Let's await the conclusion of the inquiries. Spare a thought to those who knew him -
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/jp-morgan-death-it-executives-family-pay-tribute-after-fall-from-canary-wharf-tower-9093052.html
Mr Magee’s parents, Bill and Nell, told the Standard they had been left distraught by their son’s death and would come to London looking for answers.
Speaking from their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mrs Magee, 74, sobbed uncontrollably as she said: “I’ve lost my baby.
“We are shattered beyond words. This was a young man, we cherished him. He was named after the angel Gabriel, the messenger who always had good news. He always brought us good news.”
RIP Gabe
Gallows humour is very much part of both El Reg and cynical IT bods.
We've made a shit ton of jokes about dead stupid people, accidental-but-funny deaths and celebrity deaths, and we've danced on several gravestones here. The fact that Reg publishes such stories is the first clue that death IS funny, and has been since Ug put his hand into a dead deer's skull and played hand-puppet.
However, jumping in with 'FIRST POST' tastelessness is a little sour. There is a difference between biting gallows humour and simply being an unfunny and an unpleasant human being.
Let's not confuse it.
I doubt many commentards have a problem with gallows humour. I certainly don't.
However, as noted earlier, as an IT professional it's not outwith the realms of possibility that some of his friends, colleagues, etc might see this article and read the comments. It appears at least one person who has commented here may be connected to him in some manner.
I'm pretty sure you wouldn't approve of someone walking into his local cracking jokes about him being a 'high flyer' etc.
Time and a place, and all that.
Steven R
This post has been deleted by its author
I've experienced suicide both of people I know, and also, twice, being >< this close to doing it myself. Nothing will change my opinion based on these experiences that suicide is the most selfish thing a person can do, and that black humour is a very good, and extremely necessary, way for some people to deal with it. Some of the funniest events I've ever been to have been funerals.
You should maybe think about how you would feel if this happened to someone you knew. I work in the very office, was here at the time and I can tell you it's not anything you want to experience.
There may well be people here that public opinion is against but do you think that someone who is just here to make a reasonable living, like the most of us are, derserves this for just being associated.
This post has been deleted by its author
Just as a correction for the article, a vice president at an investment bank isn't an executive. A very large proportion of IT staff will be Associate VP or VP just because of their base salary. Then of course you get the next level of job title inflation with Executive Directors at some of the banks which is largely the same thing.
On topic though it's a sad thing.You never know what drives people to it but I'm sure there will be a lot of people affected by having it at work.
there's only a few reasons to do this.
1 I think I can fly - drugs etc
2 got pushed off - murder
3 guilt - easy out
4 oops - really?
If you pull a #1, can you really expect any sympathy at all? #2 should result in the guilty party being convicted. #3 if you can't stand the heat... #4 who approved the building plans.
the most recent stats I can find state that 161500 people die every day, so even my death will be insignificant.
"the most recent stats I can find state that 161500 people die every day, so even my death will be insignificant."
No, even with some of the attitudes on display here, almost everyone's death is significant to someone. Maybe not on the global scale, but friends and family tend not to care about that.
"No, even with some of the attitudes on display here, almost everyone's death is significant to someone. Maybe not on the global scale, but friends and family tend not to care about that."
I agree entirely, but why are these things reported, then? The only people affected are those who knew the person, so it needs no more coverage. If you knew whoever it is well enough, then you will know about it.
(I spend an inordinate length of time yelling at national news channels reporting on some murder or other that took place hundreds of miles away, since every word about some dead person means that something important is being missed.)
"1 I think I can fly - drugs etc" /facepalm…. such a cliché statement.
To quote Bill Hicks " 'Young man on acid, thought he could fly, jumped out of a building. What a tragedy.' What a dick! Fuck him, he’s an idiot. If he thought he could fly, why didn’t he take off on the ground first?"
I wish I could understand depression (if thats what it was) a bit more. I think I'm lucky enough to not be affected by it, if the world gets too much for me, I'd just chuck it all in and foxtrot oscar to some beach bar job. Poor guy, poor family.
Hardly an executive though.... senior techie, more like and started as AppDev (from http://www.linkedin.com/)
Conspiracy theorists will probably wonder where he worked from 1998-2007...NSA MI6... MFI?
Lead Architect, Fixed Income / Rates Technology
JPMorgan
October 2010 – Present (3 years 4 months)|London, United Kingdom
Technical Architect, Futures & Options
JPMorgan
November 2007 – October 2010 (3 years)|London, United Kingdom
Application Developer
Intel
1995 – 1998 (3 years)
"I wish I could understand depression (if thats what it was) a bit more."
Please don't wish that - the only way to understand it is to experience it, and I wouldn't wish that on most* people.
*There are some notable exceptions to the general rule who should be made to view their lives in the worst possible light ...
Hyperbole & a Half's description of depression from the inside is the closest I've found to my experience. I think (based on on her other posts) she's bipolar so she just went depressed out of nowhere, mine was environmental so the rate of progression was different and coming out of it was also much slower than she made hers sound. I didn't crawl around on the floor, either, but that's 'cos I'm an introvert and bipolar people are prone to being a bit melodramatic. It does illustrate the weird thought patterns you develop and even the deliberately shit drawing style has the right feel.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html
The 'why didn't he/she/it just bugger off somewhere else?' response is a common one from people who haven't been depressed. Depression tends to trap you in the situation you're in by making it feel inescapable, a bit like Battered Wife Syndrome. He would've felt like he had no chance of getting a job anywhere else (correctly, to an extent, as being depressed is not going to make you shine in an interview) and that he'd have to stick it out.
... and I completely understand how someone could consider doing this, working there. It's an absolute snake pit. Far too much work, far too much pressure, far too much bullying by management that are a total shower of shit.
Getting out felt like someone turning the lights back on.
First off, poor chap, and poor family. Dreadful thing to happen to them, and he must have been in a terrible state. Also, feel for the people who work both in 25 Bank Street who could see what had happened and those in buildings nearby. Thankfully that part of the roof is not visible from most of Canary Wharf.
Two things spring to mind. First off, how did he get onto the roof? I know that building well, and know some of the people who manage security, and there's no way you can just wander up. The doors are pretty solid and there's no alternative route up there. Doesn't seem as though he was in a role that would have given him access, as he seemed to be in client technology.
Secondly, to kill yourself at work suggests that his grievance was with his job. It was bonus time a few weeks ago at JPM and promotions were announced last week, so maybe there was something going on there that made him flip out. Still, shouldn't speculate.
No disrespect intended towards the deceased or his family but a Vice President is the equivalent of a middle manager in investment banks like JPM. Given the way job promotion works VPs and Associate VPs switch LOB all the time - consequently you will get VPs in IT whose IT skills extend no further than sorting columns on a spreadsheet.
I've seen it and it is frustrating for techies and contractors. It's like working with Jen in the IT crowd, except there are no punchlines and a lot more pressure to be seen to be doing stuff.
"...consequently you will get VPs in IT whose IT skills extend no further than sorting columns on a spreadsheet.
I've seen it and it is frustrating for techies and contractors"
Touché
Actually, it is more frustrating to permanent techies, especially when contractors get offered permanent positions - the only way to get the contractor to consider the offer is higher compensation (salary to you and me) - and that means coming in at VP level, whereas an incumbent techie doing the same job would be on a lower salary scale, i.e. Associate.
How do you get from being a techie Associate to techie VP? Nods, winks and patronage has more to do with it than merit.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
