2023-09-19 15:26:13
La Croix l’Hebdo: What makes you get up in the morning ?
Marc Lesage-Moretti : Passion. She was always the one who stimulated me, much more than financial motivations. For seven years, I was a trader at Goldman Sachs. I earned a very good living, it’s true, with a salary of over €300,000 per year. But I ended up lacking intellectual stimulation, and routine set in.
In this profession, people have the impression of being overwhelmed by work, of running everywhere and all the time, of being a little apart in society. At one point, I understood that we are above all a little disconnected. I got tired of it, and more than a year ago, I changed my career. I was interested in the creator economy (the market for content creation on the Internet, editor’s note)notably because friends in Silicon Valley told me that it was going to be a market of the future, so I went for it.
Maybe it was absurd, but I’ve always been like that. When I was a child, I almost developed severe deafness, with almost 80% of my hearing lost. As I heard very little, I really retreated into my head, into my imagination. I am convinced that this is what shaped my dreamer side. So now I want to take full advantage of it, allow myself to pursue my dreams. That’s reason enough to wake up motivated!
How is it going at work?
M. L.-M. : My new activity allows me to carry out several projects at the same time, it’s very exciting. For example, I set myself the goal of reaching the rank of Master on video games League of Legends, that is to say being part of the 0.5% best players in the world. I also host a talk show on finance on Twitch, with the aim of sharing my knowledge of the sector with a young audience. It’s really nice to be able to pass on knowledge!
And I’m even in discussions with e-sport teams (video game competitions, Editor’s note), perhaps for a manager or analyst position. A profile like mine as a former trader is not common in the ecosystem.
Who do you trust?
M. L.-M. : There are friends, my brother, family… But right away, I think especially of my girlfriend. When I have doubts, she supports me, she listens to me. And reciprocally. She also has a very intense activity, because she works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We really need each other to let go, relieve the pressure. It’s not always easy, because you have to find the right balance so as not to suffocate. Despite everything, I have the impression that it works.
A scene that struck you recently?
M. L.-M. : I just finished a charity streaming marathon. For three days, several of us content creators collected donations for the Make-A-Wish association. The event ends, €130,000 has been collected, everyone puts away their equipment. And there, I feel like a void. I realize that I already regret these last 72 hours, while realizing that I did not take full advantage of them. As if, despite my desire to savor the present moment, I couldn’t do it.
What would change your life?
M. L.-M. : I’m lucky to have what I need. On the other hand, there is something I would like to change in my life: to be more useful to others. I have always been very focused on myself, in a very competitive mentality: getting the best preparation, the best jobs, being the best trader… Today, this mindset bothers me. I would like to have more time for others, to get out of my bubble a little.
When I was young, I was a stretcher bearer in an association. We accompanied seriously ill people to Lourdes, to allow them to meditate. Seeing the importance it had for them was extremely touching. But I am well aware that serving others is also useful to us. It’s not necessarily wasted time.
And for tomorrow, do you have an idea in mind to change the world?
M. L.-M. : Let people be more honest and transparent. I have always done it this way, and I think the world would gain in efficiency and authenticity by doing the same. Today, all of society, and especially the business world, uses the language of wood.
I saw this clearly when I was at Goldman Sachs. I didn’t deprive myself of frankness, I talked cash with my clients. Some of my colleagues loved it, because it was lively. Others hated it. Out of embarrassment or hypocrisy, I don’t know, but in any case, it was frustrating, human relationships were not made easier.
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When he talks about his journey, Marc Lesage-Moretti likes to cultivate an image of a dreamer. A romantic lost in the world of finance. But behind his romantic profile, the 31-year-old recognizes it: he is very lucky. His parents are bankers, his mother sometimes even a singer. He grew up in Neuilly-sur-Seine, received a Jesuit education and trained in a Parisian business school.
For seven years, he climbed the ranks as a trader at Goldman Sachs and made an extremely comfortable living, then got bored. He made the decision to turn his back on his job in the bank to become an Internet content creator. Since February 2022, his new life has been streaming on Twitch, under the nickname Jokariz, or even hosting talk shows on finance. He knows it, his profile is atypical.
