Neuberger Berman has placed Steven Eisman, best known for his role in betting against the US housing market before its collapse in 2007, on an indefinite leave of absence following controversial comments he made regarding the situation in Gaza, according to a report by the Financial Times.
Eisman, who has been a managing director at the New York-based investment firm since 2014, gained fame after being featured in Michael Lewis’s book The Big Short, which was later adapted into a 2016 film where his character, renamed Mark Baum, was played by Steve Carell.
The controversy arose when Eisman responded to a graphic post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, which included the Neuberger Berman logo. The post showed burning buildings and people in distress, allegedly following an Israeli attack, with a caption saying the: “The world is silent.” Eisman replied to the post on Thursday, stating: “We are not silent. We are celebrating.”
He later apologised, claiming he had intended to refer to Israeli attacks on Hizbollah in Lebanon and subsequently deleted his account. Despite the apology, the backlash led Neuberger Berman to take action.
The firm initially distanced itself from Eisman’s remarks, stating: “His personal comments on social media are his own and do not represent Neuberger Berman.” However, after further consideration, the company placed Eisman on indefinite leave, labelling his social media actions as “irresponsible and objectionable.”
Eisman has been vocal on social media, expressing strong pro-Israel views and regularly engaging with critics of the country. His political commentary has also sparked attention. Recently, he predicted that Donald Trump would win the next US presidential election, and warned that if Kamala Harris became president and the Democrats controlled Congress, the US market would decline.
A Harvard-educated lawyer, Eisman left the legal profession to become a financial analyst at Oppenheimer, before moving to FrontPoint Partners where he focused on subprime mortgage mispricing. His work at FrontPoint earned him a reputation as one of the key figures who foresaw the 2007–2008 financial crisis. After leaving FrontPoint in 2011, Eisman briefly ran his own fund, Emrys Partners, before joining Neuberger Berman.
