Question 1

True or false: Stephen Schwarzman co-founded the private equity firm Blackstone in 1985.

Accepted Answer

True. He co-founded Blackstone with Peter G. Peterson in 1985, building it into one of the world's largest alternative investment firms.

Question 2

True or false: Stephen Schwarzman named his private equity firm Blackstone after his own initials.

Accepted Answer

False. Blackstone was named after co-founders Peter Peterson and Stephen Schwarzman—'Schwarzman' is German for 'black', and 'Peter' means 'stone'.

Question 3

True or false: Stephen Schwarzman served as a U.S. Navy SEAL before entering finance.

Accepted Answer

False. He never served in the military. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and worked at Lehman Brothers before co-founding Blackstone.

Question 4

True or false: Stephen Schwarzman founded the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2013, he donated $100 million to launch the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University, modeled after the Rhodes Scholarship.

Question 5

True or false: Schwarzman donated over $500 million to Yale University, his alma mater.

Accepted Answer

False. He gave $150 million to Yale for a student center, but his biggest donation—$350 million—went to MIT, not Yale.

Question 6

True or false: Schwarzman’s 60th birthday party cost $3 million and featured a performance by Rod Stewart.

Accepted Answer

True. The 2007 bash at the New York Public Library included Rod Stewart and a cake shaped like his Park Avenue apartment, costing an estimated $3 million.

Question 7

True or false: Schwarzman once famously compared raising taxes on the wealthy to Hitler invading Poland.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2010, Schwarzman said a proposed carried-interest tax hike — a tax on wealthy fund managers — was “like when Hitler invaded Poland.” He later apologized.

Question 8

True or false: Stephen Schwarzman is a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Accepted Answer

True. Schwarzman has served as a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2007, reflecting his prominent role in the arts community.

Stephen Schwarzman Trivia Questions