Lloyd Blankfein enlists Warren Buffett, Continues Charm Campaign

New York Magazine has labeled a recent public relations campaign by Goldman Sachs as its “Charm Offensive.”

That campaign continued Tuesday as CEO Lloyd Blankfein made an appearance on a special Chicago-based episode of MSNBC’s Morning Joe to talk about the firm’s “10,000 Small Businesses” program, which trains small growing companies on how to make money the Goldman Sachs’ way.

Joined by billionaire investor Warren Buffett and others, Blankfein spoke highly of the company’s commitment to small business.

“We wanted to go and show that you can invest in business people, and they would make money from what they do, motivated by profit, and yet go out and make huge contributions to their communities,” Lloyd Blankfein said on the show. “And I’ll tell you, it just restores your complete confidence in what the future of this republic is. It’s absolutely terrific.”

Lloyd Blankfein, who has been CEO for the last six years, has acknowledged mistakes along the way by the company, but still has no interest in stepping down from his post anytime soon.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Blankfein calls his position, “a hard job to leave.”

“I’ll tell you why this is a tough job to leave,” Blankfein told the Chronicle. “When things are going really well it’s the best job in the world and you wouldn’t want to leave. And when things are going badly you can’t leave because your sense of responsibility won’t let you.”

The company has faced a consistent stream of criticism for its perceived role in the 2008 financial crisis and beyond, but Lloyd Blankfein has been leading the charge in recent weeks to improve the company’s image.

(Photo courtesy of the Financial Times)