Goldman Sachs flies David Solomon to Paris during staff Olympics ban

Goldman Sachs touched down at Paris-Le Bourget on June 17 aboard its Gulfstream G650ER (tail N650WS), departing Teterboro just after 2 a.m. for the six-hour, 19-minute flight. The trip deposits CEO David Solomon in the French capital the same week the Olympic Games begin — an event the firm had effectively banned its own employees from attending on company expense, per a report from rsquaremedia.com.

Solomon’s itinerary, according to sources cited by the outlet, includes a lunch hosted by President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace alongside fellow corporate chiefs, as well as a party at the Louis Vuitton Foundation. The bank’s proxy statement insists Solomon’s use of the corporate jet — nicknamed “Air Force Sol” — is justified by security and efficiency concerns.

The optics, however, are hard to ignore. In April, Goldman ordered staff to seek prior approval before wining and dining clients at the Games. Solomon’s five-night stay at the Four Seasons George V suggests he’ll have ample time to experience the events he told his employees to skip — a disconnect that may rankle the rank and file as the firm continues to stress cost discipline after its $4 billion consumer-banking retreat.