Talk:Jonathan D. Gray

Edits to Philanthropy

Would suggest restructuring this section so that his giving towards BRCA causes and education causes are each in their own paragraphs. It would be easier to track the updates.

Information to be added: In July 2019, the Gray Foundation announced $25 million in new funding for multi-institutional research teams to study new approaches for detection, diagnosis, and therapy of BRCA-related cancers. This brought their lifetime philanthropic giving to over $175 million, including over $100 million towards BRCA causes.

Information to be added after the introduction of the college saving program line: The program, NYC Kids Rise, has enrolled and seeded college savings accounts for over 10,000 students to date.

Information to be added: In December 2019, the Grays announced a $10 million gift to support low income, first generation students from New York City attending the University of Pennsylvania

Information to be added: Add the date of "in 2012" to the mention of his $10 million gift to Harlem Village academies (rather than "recently"), as well as the below source.

ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 14:49, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

References

Update to Reference

Update to reference #1, retrieved March 3, 2020

ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 14:57, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

References

Some edit requests

Please make the following changes:

1. In the Career section, modify or delete the second paragraph as it is multiple years out of date ("Today, Blackstone's real estate business..."). To be accurate it should say "with $174 billion in investor capital under management, including a $20.5 billion global real estate fund, a €9.8 billion European real estate fund and a $7.1 billion Asian real estate fund. Also, remove the "In November 2016" paragraph, as this topic is covered and more relevant to include in the Politics section.
2. Please remove the Controversies section, as it has almost nothing to do with Gray - it is about a single investment made by Blackstone, not Gray personally. (It also contains significant inaccurate information.) Except for the two Wall Street Journal articles, none of the sources referenced in the section even mention Gray.
3. Add the following paragraph to the Politics section: "Gray has been a major Democratic supporter, backing several Democratic 2020 presidential candidates including Joe Biden."
4. For better readability, please organize the Philanthropy section into two subsections which track with the key buckets of philanthropy: "Cancer research" and "Other philanthropy." The "Cancer research" subsection should contain the paragraph beginning "In May 2012" as well as the sentences beginning "In May 2017" and "In July 2019." The remainder of the content in the section should be placed in the "Other philanthropy" subsection.

References

Thank you, ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 20:33, 16 December 2020 (UTC)

I made the political edit asked for in #3. The request to remove the controversy section is a significant issue worthy of discussion. I lean towards keeping it in as the Blackstone affiliation is a key part of Gray’s bio. A significant controversy involving Blackstone also relates to its president. Other editors are encouraged to weigh in. Go4thProsper (talk) 02:58, 24 December 2020 (UTC)

@Go4thProsper: Thanks for implementing part of my request! One comment on that: I see you added the words "More recently" to the sentence. Actually, as you can see from this Politico article, or others, Gray "has been a major Democratic donor over the years" - not just recently.

As for the controversy section, I don't see why a story about a company should appear in the article about its president, unless the sources say that the president had something to do with the story. Isn't this a clear example of WP:COATRACK? Furthermore, much of the section is simply false - unverifiable and original research - which is especially problematic for a BLP. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 16:29, 30 December 2020 (UTC)

Summoned from help desk. Hopefully I addressed this issue in a fair and balanced way. See history. TimTempleton ^{(talk) (cont)} 23:06, 28 January 2021 (UTC)

@ThomasClements Blackstone: Where in that third quarter source does it specifically say that Blackstone has with $174 billion in investor capital under management? Sdrqaz (talk) 03:37, 29 January 2021 (UTC)

To clarify for editors: the first part of the edit request has not been carried out; the second has been partially carried out (wholesale removal of the section was too extreme and some of it has been merged into the "career" heading); the third and fourth parts have been carried out. Sdrqaz (talk) 03:50, 29 January 2021 (UTC)

@Sdrqaz: Thanks for this. As for your question, it says on Page 10 of the cited source: "Total AUM: Increased 11% to $173.8 billion." However, the company since reported more updated numbers that include the fourth quarter of 2020. So now the number should actually be $187.2 billion, based on Page 10 of the newer report here. Thanks. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 19:00, 11 February 2021 (UTC)

 Done. Sdrqaz (talk) 01:46, 12 February 2021 (UTC)

Edits needed to Early life and Philanthropy sections

Hi, I am requesting the following edits to the Early life and Philanthropy sections.

• In the "Early life" section, please remove the words "was an investment advisor." It is incorrect and there is no source for this.
• In the "Philanthropy" section, please move the following paragraph from "Other philanthropy" to the beginning of "Philanthropy": The Gray Foundation was launched in 2014 with two distinct missions: Accelerating research, improving treatment and raising awareness for individuals who have inherited BRCA mutations; and maximizing access to education, healthcare and opportunity for low-income youth in New York City.
• Underneath the above paragraph, please add: As of 2018, Gray had donated $120 million in his lifetime. In 2018, he gave $23 million, ranking #49 on Forbes' America's Top 50 Givers.
• In the "Cancer research" sub-head, please add the following sentence to the beginning of the first paragraph: The Grays have donated over $100 million to BRCA cancer research.
• In "Other philanthropy" please add the following at the end: In 2019, the Gray’s announced a $10 million gift to support first-generation, low-income students attending the University of Pennsylvania.

References

Thanks so much for all your help. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 12:50, 21 July 2021 (UTC)

 Not done: After careful review of the article and its sources, I deem that it is is good as is, this request is therefore unnecessary. Quetstar (talk) 18:29, 21 July 2021 (UTC)

 Done However, I have toned down the promotional nature of some of the paragraph while fulfilling the edit request. Sdrqaz (talk) 23:32, 15 September 2021 (UTC)

Edits to beginning of the Career section

Hi. I would like to request a few edits to the first part of the Career section, which needs to be updated. I am pinging Sdrqaz who has been helpful in the past with edits to this page.

• In the first paragraph of the Career section, please take out the words "shortly thereafter" and replace with the more accurate "the following year."
• Please move the second paragraph that begins "As of January 2021," to the bottom of the section so it will be in the chronologically correct place.
• Please move the last two sentences of the third paragraph, "Gray was named...people in New York City real estate," to below the sentence that begins, "In 2008, Gray led the firm's efforts..." to maintain a better chronological order.
• Please replace what remains of the third paragraph with the following:

As global head of real estate, Gray helped build the group into the largest real estate investing business in the world, with a diverse portfolio including hotel, office, retail, industrial, and residential properties in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He led Blackstone's $26 billion deal to buy Hilton Hotels Corp in 2007, which became the most profitable ever private equity deal, earning $14 billion for the firm's investors. Gray serves as Chairman of the Board of Hilton Worldwide, which went public in December 2013. Blackstone's investment in Hilton was profiled in a September 2014 Bloomberg Businessweek cover story.

References

Thanks for your help. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 12:34, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

 Not done: Declined for the same reasons as last time. Quetstar (talk) 21:19, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

 Partly done: I've carried out the more than reasonable requests in bulletpoints one to three. I have partially carried out the request in bulletpoint four, but I cannot access those sources and verify those claims (I could see some of it, but not all). If you feel strongly about this change, you can email me the text of the sources. Sdrqaz (talk) 23:02, 15 September 2021 (UTC)

Add sentence to 'Other philanthropy' section

Hello. This is Thomas and I would like to make a small request:

• Can you please add the following sentence and source to the "Other philanthropy" section? "In 2021 the Gray Foundation contributed $15 million to a program that opens a college savings account with $100 for every child enrolled in New York City public kindergartens." https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/15/nyregion/money-for-kindergartners-spendable-on-college.html

Thanks so much. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 13:20, 23 November 2021 (UTC)

 Done Signed, I Am Chaos (talk) 01:42, 24 November 2021 (UTC)

Add sub-headings to the Career section and some edits

Hi. I have a few additional edit requests.

• I am requesting that the Career section be divided into two sub-headings. Dividing the section makes it more useful, guiding the reader directly to the two major parts of the career via the table of contents. Also, dividing up the rather long section makes reading easier and highlights the main idea of each of the sub-sections. The first sub-section, which starts at the very beginning of the Career section, can be called "Real estate (1992-2018)". The second sub-heading should be called "President and COO (2018-2021)" and starts immediately before the sentence that begins "In February 2018, it was announced that Gray would become president..."
• Please move the sentence that begins "As of January 2021... out of the "Blackstone President and COO" section up into the end of the newly created "Real estate" section.
• Please add the following paragraph to the Real estate section directly under the paragraph that ends with "Blackstone's investment in Hilton was profiled..." "Other major investments include the $39B purchase of Equity Office Properties, the largest ever real estate transaction, and $23B acquisition of GE’s real estate portfolio, and Peter Cooper Village – Stuyvesant Town in New York City.
• Please remove the following sentence, it is not sourced and less relevant: "In 2008, Gray led the firm's efforts in establishing Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies (BRED), provider of high yield debt capital."
• Also remove from the following paragraph the following, which is also not sourced and describes the groups activities, not Gray: "In 2013, BREDS launched Blackstone Mortgage Trust (BXMT) to provide first mortgage debt capital to real estate borrowers."
• In the next sentence, please remove "Also" and begin the sentence with "In 2013" and remove, "when Gray was President of Blackstone's Real Estate division," The phrase is an unnecessary mention of Gray's role.
• Please add the following to the new "President and COO" section:

As president, Gray has emphasized a shift to thematic investing in high-growth companies, industries, and regions. He encouraged investments likely to benefit from big-picture global trends including the rise of technology, the shift to e-commerce, content creation and the growth of the life sciences industry. This emphasis was seen in deals including the acquisition of a majority stake in dating app company Bumble, investment in biotech company Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and a joint venture with film and production studio owner Hudson Pacific Properties.

In 2018, as part of this shift, Blackstone launched a dedicated life sciences investing business through the acquisition of Clarus, a life sciences investment firm headquartered in Cambridge, MA. Gray also oversaw the launch of the firm’s growth equity business in 2019.

References

I am pinging Sdrqaz and I Am Chaos who have been so helpful in the past. Thanks so much. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 21:02, 7 January 2022 (UTC)

 Reviewing... Sdrqaz (talk) 23:57, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

This is a gentle nudge to Sdrqaz to look over my edit request above, and if Sdrqaz cant get to it, I am also pinging IAmChaos who has been helpful with previous edit requests. Thanks so much. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 18:54, 8 February 2022 (UTC)

Yes, sorry. For the first and second requests, I'm declining them, sorry. There'd be just one sentence in the new "President and COO" subheading, which would look very imbalanced compared to the rest of the section. I've carried out the removals requested, which seem reasonable. I'm looking through the rest of the request, which is a tad more complicated. Sdrqaz (talk) 22:21, 8 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi Sdrqaz. Please note that if you were to divide the Career section, the last bullet point of my above edit request adds one long and one short paragraph to the "President and COO" section, improving the balance of the two newly created sections. Thanks so much for helping. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 14:00, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi Sdrqaz. Thank you for all the work you have done editing this page over the past few months. My most recent edit request is part of a process I began several months ago to update and improve the overall page, and you have helped enormously. Please let me know if you are still planning to look at the rest of this request. All the best, ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 04:21, 24 February 2022 (UTC)

Yes, I am. Sorry about the delay. Sdrqaz (talk) 20:45, 28 February 2022 (UTC)

@Sdrqaz: Has this been completed? Z1720 (talk) 00:53, 3 April 2022 (UTC)

No, sorry. Feel free to take over if you wish, Z1720. Sdrqaz (talk) 21:10, 3 April 2022 (UTC)

I don't have the desire to take this over. I'll leave this request open for another. Z1720 (talk) 01:13, 4 April 2022 (UTC)

Career section edits request

Hello. I would like to ask for the following additions to the Career section:

1. Please divide the Career section into two sub-sections, for several reasons. I believe dividing the section makes it more useful, guiding the reader directly to the part of Gray's career that the reader is interested via the table of contents. Also, dividing up the long section makes reading easier, and highlights the main idea of each of the sub-sections. The first sub-section, which starts at the very beginning of the Career section, should be called "Real estate (1992-2018)". The second sub-section should be called "President and COO (2018-2021)" and starts immediately before the sentence that begins "In February 2018, it was announced that Gray would become president..."
2. Please move the sentence that begins "As of January 2021... out of the "Blackstone president and COO" section up into the end of the newly created "Real estate" section.
3. To maintain the balance between the two newly created sub-sections and update the article, please add the following two paragraphs to the "Blackstone president and COO" section:

As president, Gray has emphasized a shift to thematic investing in high-growth companies, industries, and regions. He encouraged investments likely to benefit from global trends including the rise of technology, the shift to e-commerce, content creation and the growth of the life sciences industry.

Gray also led efforts to expand Blackstone's client base outside the typical pool of large institutional investors it historically served. This included retail investors and insurers looking for the same opportunities as institutional investors.

References

Thanks so much. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 02:21, 11 April 2022 (UTC)

Moved from User talk:IAmChaos

 – Moved my reply to keep discussion together. Happy Editing--IAmChaos 02:10, 6 July 2022 (UTC)

Hi, thanks for reaching out. I don't do much in finance articles, but I took a look. The third request, I'm not sure it seems kind of NNPOV, although I haven't read through the sources and may just be the wording used, I'd have to dig in deeper, which is a better job for someone actively looking at the COIR queue. As for the second request, I don't see any sentence in the article starting with that text, if you could expand on that? And for the first request I am going to echo the concerns of @Sdrqaz who made a decent point about imbalance in the two subsections. Happy Editing--IAmChaos 02:08, 6 July 2022 (UTC)

Hi IAmChaos. Thanks for looking at my edit request above. I understand on not dividing the Career section into subsections. About request two, you are right; that sentence was removed a while back, apologies for the confusion. As for request three, I re-wrote the proposed sentences to make them more NPOV, and hope you agree. Additionally, since the entire focus of the WSJ article is on how Gray has approached his role and President and COO and shaped BX's strategy, it is important to mention in the Wikipedia article.

• As president, Gray has emphasized a thematic investment approach focused on high-growth sectors including technology, e-commerce, content creation, and biotechnology. Gray also led efforts to widen Blackstone's pool of investors beyond institutions to include retail investors and insurers.

Thanks so much for your patience and help. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 13:23, 18 July 2022 (UTC)

 Not done for now: Two requests were resolved but the third has sources behind a paywall and I couldn't check them. Thinker78 (talk) 03:14, 28 November 2022 (UTC)

Hi MowerBreeze. I saw your edit on Jon's career section. Would you take a look at some of these other pending changes? The section as written does not included anything on Jon's role as President & COO at Blackstone since his appointment 5 years ago. We have suggested a number of edits, most recently these two sentences. Thanks for your help. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 15:20, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

References

Career updates since 2018

Hi, requesting updates to the Career section on this page. Rationale and direct sourcing below.

• Specific text to be added or removed: After “…replacing Hamilton “Tony” James” please add: Since becoming day-to-day leader of the firm, Gray has centralized investment processes and encouraged a thematic approach across its businesses , developing big-picture convictions and investing in companies or assets that stand to benefit from those trends. Among these themes are the ongoing shift to e-commerce, advancement of the life-sciences industry, acceleration of the energy transition, and significant increase in demand for private credit. Gray also led efforts to attract clients outside the typical pool of large institutional investors it historically served, including insurers and individual investors, which helped the firm reach $1 Trillion in assets under management in 2023.
• Reason for the change: this page lacks a single update on his role at Blackstone since becoming President & COO at the beginning of 2018. These edits track directly to language from independent news sources about initiatives he has driven over those 6 years.
• References supporting change:
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-19/blackstone-nears-managing-1-trillion-in-private-equity-first
  • https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-blackstone-barrels-toward-trillion-dollar-asset-goal-growth-is-in-value-out-11616319002
  • https://www.afr.com/chanticleer/inside-blackstone-s-six-big-bets-20230608-p5df6f
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/10/business/private-equity.html
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-19/blackstone-plans-pe-fund-for-people-with-millions-not-billions

Thank you. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 18:28, 19 December 2023 (UTC) ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 18:28, 19 December 2023 (UTC)

References

 Declined It's not entirely clear what is meant by saying that the subject has centralized investment processes and encouraged a thematic approach across its businesses or that the subject has led efforts to attract clients. In any event, the requested prose appears to speak to the subject's day to day handling of their organizational duties, which is not really the purview of the Wikipedia article. Regards,  Spintendo  07:59, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

Thank you for reviewing User:Spintendo. As I said, there is no detail on his role in the last 6 years to align with the weight given elsewhere on the page. Below is a simplified addition to an existing sentence which is NPOV and encyclopedically relevant (can source widely).

• In February 2018, it was announced that Gray would become president and chief operating officer of Blackstone, replacing Hamilton "Tony" James in overseeing all parts of the firm. Under Gray, Blackstone became the first alternative asset manager to reach $1 trillion in AUM and join the S&P 500, helped by efforts to expand its investing businesses and serve a broader group of clients, including insurance companies and individual investors .

Thank you. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 17:55, 20 December 2023 (UTC) ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 17:55, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

User:Spintendo would you mind looking at the revised suggested addition above?

Thank you. ThomasClements Blackstone (talk) 18:03, 4 January 2024 (UTC)

 Partly done: The $1T milestone and inclusion in the S&P 500 strike me as significant enough to include, since they're accredited to Gray in RS. Also found enough support for the 'thematic shift' to include a basic summary of how this was reported. Pegnawl (talk) 23:27, 9 June 2024 (UTC)