David Solomon is the banker who took the helm of financial giant Goldman Sachs in 2018, succeeding Lloyd Blankfein. In this article on newyork1.one we explore how this distinguished and strategic CEO manages to bridge the world of high finance with an unexpected hobby—performing as DJ D-Sol at major music festivals and top clubs in New York and Miami.
From Ice Cream Scooper to Wall Street Titan
David Solomon was born in 1962 in Hartsdale, New York, and grew up in the affluent suburb of Scarsdale. His upbringing was classic upper-middle class: his father, Alan Solomon, was a top executive at a small publishing company, and his mother, Sandra, headed an audiology department.
As a teenager at Edgemont High School, Solomon balanced his studies with his first part-time jobs. One of those early gigs was at Baskin-Robbins. During the summers, he worked as a counselor at a New Hampshire sleepaway camp—an experience he credits with developing his leadership skills and his ability to connect with people from all walks of life.
After high school, Solomon attended Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government. His college years were packed: he played on the rugby team and served as the president of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.
Following his graduation in 1984, Solomon applied for an analyst role at Goldman Sachs—but he was rejected. Rather than letting the setback define him, he joined Irving Trust Company, which he later jokingly referred to as his “graduate school in finance.”
In 1986, Solomon moved to the investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert. He started in commercial paper but eventually dove into the high-stakes world of junk bonds. It was there that David built his reputation as a detail-oriented, iron-willed negotiator. When the bank collapsed following the Michael Milken scandal, Solomon pivoted quickly, continuing his career at Bear Stearns.
His experience navigating volatile markets hardened his financial instincts. In 1999, Goldman Sachs came calling again—not for a trainee this time, but for a Partner. This move marked the beginning of his meteoric rise to the summit of global finance.
The Path to the Top of Goldman Sachs
David Solomon’s career at Goldman Sachs moved at a relentless pace. He quickly became a standout in the investment banking division. By 2004, he was named to the firm’s Management Committee—the body that dictates the bank’s strategic direction. In 2006, he took over as co-head of investment banking, a role he held for nearly a decade.
Those years were a period of massive growth. Under his leadership, the division boosted profitability, expanded its client base, and significantly increased deal volume. Solomon earned a reputation for combining rigid risk management discipline with an innate ability to build long-term client trust. By March 2018, it became clear that Solomon would be the successor to the legendary Lloyd Blankfein.
As CEO, he sought to modernize the traditional image of an investment bank. He pushed for upgraded computer systems, introduced video interviews for recruitment, relaxed the firm’s buttoned-up dress code, and raised pay for programmers to attract top-tier tech talent.
He also spearheaded new business ventures, most notably the launch of Marcus by Goldman Sachs, a digital retail banking service that pushed the firm beyond its institutional roots.
However, his tenure began with significant challenges, including the massive international 1MDB scandal involving a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund. Due to the actions of a few rogue bankers, the firm agreed to pay billions in fines, and Solomon issued a public apology to the people of Malaysia for the bank’s role in the controversy.
Despite the hurdles, he has remained optimistic about the company’s future. In interviews, Solomon has noted:
“I had advised CEOs for a long time, and a lot of CEOs talked to me about what it was like to be a CEO—about how you feel a little lonely and a little isolated. I thought I understood it. But when you actually sit in the seat, it really does feel different.”
Solomon says he spends about a third of his time on strategy, a third on people and culture, and the rest on client engagement. One of his key leadership lessons is:
“You have to be able to say ‘no’ to things that aren’t actually relevant to your core mission or what you’re really trying to achieve for the organization.”
David Solomon is also working to shift Wall Street’s culture. He is a vocal advocate for corporate diversity, implementing a policy where the bank will not take a company public unless it has at least one diverse board member. Furthermore, under his watch, Goldman Sachs has ramped up investments in sustainable development and the energy transition.
David Solomon’s story is a prime example of how persistence, strategic thinking, and the ability to evolve with the times can lead to the very top of one of the world’s most influential financial institutions.
The Banker Who Became a DJ
Despite the buttoned-up world of high finance, David Solomon maintains a rather unconventional hobby. In his spare time, he performs as a DJ under the stage name DJ D-Sol, producing Electronic Dance Music (EDM). His sets have energized clubs and festivals from New York and Miami to the Bahamas.
In June 2018, he released a dance cover of the classic Fleetwood Mac anthem “Don’t Stop.” The track gained traction, landing on the airwaves of SiriusXM’s BPM channel. His debut single racked up millions of streams, and his Spotify artist page continues to draw hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners. One of his tracks, “Someone Like You,” even climbed to number four on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in 2020.
In 2018, Solomon launched Payback Records in partnership with Big Beat Records and Atlantic Records. The label’s mission is unique: all profits are funneled into charitable causes, including programs tackling addiction, hunger, and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
DJ D-Sol has been a regular at high-profile events, appearing at the Electronic Music Awards in Los Angeles and the Sports Illustrated Super Bowl party in Miami. He has shared the stage with heavy hitters like Marshmello and The Black Eyed Peas. His musical side hustle even caught the eye of Hollywood; in 2020, he made a cameo appearance in the hit Showtime series Billions.
Solomon has often explained that music is his way of finding balance. In his view, the energy of a DJ set mirrors the atmosphere of the financial markets: in both worlds, you have to read the room, anticipate reactions, and make split-second decisions.
More recently, Solomon has stepped back from the spotlight. Media reports suggest the shift is due to intense press scrutiny and the sheer difficulty of balancing the CEO role at one of the world’s most powerful banks with a high-profile music career. Nevertheless, the era of DJ D-Sol proved that even on Wall Street, there is room for creativity—and that CEOs can have a life far beyond the boardroom.
David Solomon’s Private Life: Family, Fine Wine, and Philanthropy
David Solomon generally keeps his personal life out of the tabloids. In 1989, at the age of 27, he married Mary Elizabeth Solomon (née Coffey) in Bernardsville, New Jersey. The couple had two daughters and spent nearly three decades together before officially divorcing in early 2018.
That same year, Solomon’s name unexpectedly hit the headlines due to a bizarre criminal case. Hundreds of bottles of rare wine—roughly 500 in total—vanished from his private collection. The theft included ultra-pricey vintages from the legendary French estate Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
The culprit turned out to be his personal assistant, Nicolas DeMeyer. He was arrested and charged with stealing wine worth over $1.2 million. However, the story took a tragic turn in October 2018: on the morning of a scheduled court appearance, DeMeyer died by suicide after jumping from a window at hotel The Carlyle Hotel.
Beyond the office, Solomon is deeply committed to public service. Since 2005, he has served on the board of trustees for his alma mater, Hamilton College, and was elected board chair in 2021.
He is also a board member of the Robin Hood Foundation, a major non-profit dedicated to fighting poverty in New York City. The foundation funds social initiatives ranging from education, ecology and healthcare to support for low-income families.
Despite being one of the most powerful figures in global finance, David Solomon’s life is a patchwork of roles: banker, philanthropist, collector, and musician. This multifaceted nature is what makes his story so compelling—reminding us that behind the stoic Wall Street exterior is a man with diverse passions and a strong sense of civic duty.