Enforcing office mandates and threatening layoffs at the height of a cost of living crisis has left many CEOs out of favor with workers. But not Citadel chief Ken Griffin.
The billionaire boss earned the affections of his Asia Pacific-based workforce by treating them to an all-expenses paid trip to Tokyo Disneyland at the end of October, which included a private concert with music stars Maroon 5 and Calvin Harris.
Around 1,200 employees from the company’s Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Gurugram offices—and their families—were invited along to celebrate the hedge fund Citadel’s and capital markets firm Citadel Securities’ thirtieth and twentieth anniversaries.
Griffin—who has an estimated net worth of $36 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index—personally covered everyone's expenses including travel, childcare, and fast track passes to minimize wait times for busy rides like Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean.
It's unclear whether Citadel employees had exclusive use of Disneyland, but a one-day pass to the amusement park can cost up to 10,900 yen ($74), meaning the bill for tickets alone could have set Griffin back by as much as $88,800.
"Today, the range of talent we have brought together is simply astonishing. We've created not one, but two firms at the forefront of the industry,” Griffin announced before welcoming Maroon 5 to the stage. “Together, we have imagined and built the future of finance."
It isn't the first time Griffin has gone all out to treat his staff to such an extravaganza. Last year, he took 10,000 Citadel staffers and their families on a three-day Walt Disney World trip, which included a series of pop concerts.
The three-day event, held last December, saw Carly Rae Jepsen, Diplo and Coldplay take the stage to celebrate Citadel’s success.
Videos posted to TikTok at the time showed a sea of employees swaying to Coldplay's hits, getting sprayed by confetti and whipping their phones out to record the occasion.
One TikTok user labeled the work event the “most amazing party I've ever attended”.
Griffin isn't the only big-name boss to try and butter up workers by putting on an unforgettable party.
Under former CEO Adam Neumann—and well before it filed for bankruptcy—WeWork hosted an annual Halloween party in New York and a wild summer party in the English countryside. The employee get togethers saw music artists like Busta Rhymes, Lorde and Bastille featured as headline acts.
Meanwhile, Yahoo's former CEO Marissa Mayer reportedly spent $7 million in 2015 to throw her team a Great Gatsby-themed party for the holidays.
