Recall the introduction of the movie Jerry Maguire, when he got fired, his friend snidely explains, "You said it yourself, less money." The notion of less money is indeed anathema in the corporate world but something interesting is going on at Goldman Sachs (GS). We've noted before that the bank's ratio of compensation to revenue seems to be dipping a bit, though it is too early to pronounce any sort of trend. 

The New York Times notes that the bank set aside 50 percent of revenue in the first quarter, but that figure fell to 48 percent and then to 43 percent in the next two quarters. This suggests some "management" going on, which may not go over well with the employees. A consistent 50 percent would have meant an even higher bonus pool after all. This may be a sign that the top execs are listening to the critics and are willing bow to pressure. The real issue is what will happen when revenue dips. My guess is that the compensation ratio will go right back up. 

For more:
- here's a New York Times article on massive bonuses this season

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