Ambitious Hacker set out to prove that he could exceed better educated Investment Bankers

Please see The Reg's article about this (<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/31/kerviel/" rel="nofollow">http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/31/kerviel/</a>). The WSJ's article is nothing but parroting of SG's press releases. They are hard at work trying to save their asses, and everybody in the industry agrees that JKE could not have done what he did without his managers knowing, and furthermore, that he is now made into a scapegoat. WSJ is right about one thing: they are full of hubris.

I enjoyed the story but I'm not sure how much of a hacker this guy was.

He failed. Misleading title. He essentially took huge, undeducated gambles. Does anyone remember the name of the strategy that involves doubling your bet at every step, so that you could always with a single win end up "positive"? (assuming infinite money supply of course)

He was up 500 million Euros in late 2007 and never thought of going legit? That is serious delusional reality. I think he's as much as a hacker as a script kiddie

This just off the newsreels:<p>Gattaca HQ, USA: Crew member dies of heart condition on Titan Mission, investigation pending