Hilbrant's 'PE Guy' persona satirizes private equity culture
The Winnetka creator uses the character to mock the habits of the ultrawealthy, from dental roll-ups to luxury travel.
By Matthew Collins ·
Johnny Hilbrant, a resident of Winnetka, has created a viral social media character known as PE GUY. The persona satirizes private equity investors and the lifestyle of the extremely wealthy. Hilbrant uses the alter ego to critique the industry's practices through exaggerated posts and interactions.
The character describes a twelve year career in private equity, including seven years as a partner. The profile claims the firm generates substantial revenue by acquiring dental and oral surgery practices across the Midwest. The narrative suggests that doctors with limited financial knowledge sell their practices for high prices. The firm then optimizes these businesses to increase productivity. The character describes this cycle as a routine process for making money.
Hilbrant portrays the PE GUY as living in a penthouse at the St. Regis hotel downtown. The character also owns summer properties on Lake Geneva and Nantucket. The persona states that the money is absolutely insane. The character mentions that his wife does not work and enjoys playing tennis and mahjong at a club. The family includes three children named Tarantino, Montauk, and EBITDA. The character describes all three as gifted. Tarantino is four years old, Montauk is two, and EBITDA is nine months old.
The persona lists specific items carried in a bag or used daily. These include nose strips for sleeping, a country club rulebook, a charger for an Oura Ring, and a charger for a WHOOP device. The character owns two iPhones, one for work and one for pleasure. The character claims to read The Art of War twice a month and reads Sheridan Road magazine. The goal is to join the board of governors at the country club.
The character follows specific accounts on Instagram. These include a comedian, Bloomberg, a Hadid sister, Nantucket real estate agents, and his four year old son. The son is described as the youngest person in the world to have an Instagram account. The character listens to capital markets podcasts at 1.75x speed. He also listens to voice notes from a longevity coach. A favorite playlist comes from the lobby of a Rosewood hotel in Bermuda.
Hilbrant invites users to connect with the character on LinkedIn. The character states that an assistant named Candace will be in touch. The profile is available at duetomyrole.com. The character emphasizes that life is good and encourages others to follow the account.
Source: JWC Media (Daily North Shore)
