September 15, 2025
| by Dave GilsonMore than 25,000 people have received MBAs from Stanford Graduate School of Business. That number does not include the following fictional characters whose backstories include imaginary Stanford GSB degrees.
Monica Hall, Class of 2010*
After getting her start at McKinsey, Monica pivoted to VC, eventually becoming CFO of the compression/web3/crypto startup Pied Piper on HBO’s Silicon Valley. According to her bio on the now-defunct company’s site, “she delivered the most efficient TALK in GSB history, narrating her life story in just under twelve minutes.”
Christian Gillette, Class of 2002
Following a few years in M&A at Goldman, he assumed the top slot at Everest Capital, the world’s largest private equity firm, after its founder was murdered. The protagonist of Stephen Frey’s high-finance action novels, Christian pulled off killer deals while evading killers over the course of four books.
Neil Winters, Class of 1991
As a long-running character on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, Neil built up an impressive résumé that included three stints as a CEO, four marriages, and numerous affairs. His nearly three-decade story arc ended suddenly with the death of actor Kristoff St. John in 2019.
Edie Walker, Class of 2009
The protagonist of the “feminist dating world thriller” Nothing Serious worked at Tixter, a fictional San Francisco social media company. Between biting observations about matchmaking apps and the internet circa 2017, Edie was drawn into a murder that may or may not have involved her unrequited crush.
Sarah Sloane, Class of 2001
Sarah married her classmate Seth and settled in San Francisco, where he became a successful, though shady, hedge fund manager. When a massive earthquake rocked the Bay Area, Sarah saw “her perfect world fall to pieces” in Danielle Steel’s 73rd novel, Amazing Grace.
Lloyd Lee, Class of 2003
Lloyd’s post-grad path led him to Hollywood, where he became the long-suffering assistant to insufferable talent agent Ari Gold on HBO’s Entourage. Or as he put it, he “graduated top of my class only to take a job delivering mail to unappreciative overpaid little [unprintable].”
*All class years estimated
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