Jim Simons (mathematician)

James Harris Simons (2007)

James Harris Simons (April 25, 1938 – May 10, 2024) was an American mathematician, hedge fund manager, multibillionaire and philanthropist.

Quotes

• Generally speaking, I favor increased levels of support for mathematics and physical and life science. Aside from the inevitable positive impact on the world’s economy, the advancement of knowledge lifts humanity’s spirits, opening our eyes to the wonders of the universe.
  • as quoted by Allyn Jackson in: (2008). "Major Gift Launches New Geometry and Physics Center". Notices of the AMS 55 (6): 685–686.

• When you're really thinking hard about mathematics, you're in your own world. And you're cushioned from other things.
  • as quoted by D. T. Max in: (December 11, 2017)"Jim Simons, the Numbers King". The New Yorker.

• ... Be guided by beauty ... Beauty is an aesthetic. There is beauty in things that work really well — the way a company is run, or the way a theorem comes out.
  … Don’t give up easily. Stick to something. Not to the point where it’s clearly insane, but be persistent.
  … Getting fired once can be a good experience. You just don’t want to make a habit of it.
  … Work with the smartest people you can. Hopefully smarter than you even. It amplifies your effect.
  … Hire the smartest people you possibly can … Work collaboratively, and let everyone know what everyone else is researching, so people aren’t wasting their time.
  … You never know where good science is going to take you.
  • as quoted by Tracy Mayor in: Quant pioneer James Simons on math, money, and philanthropy. MIT Management, Sloan School (March 29, 2019).

Quotes about Simons

• A former math professor, Simons is arguably the most successful trader in the history of modern finance. Since 1988, Renaissance's flagship Medallion hedge fund has generated average annual returns of 66 percent, racking up trading profits of more than $100 billion ... No one in the investment world comes close. Warren Buffett, George Soros, Peter Lynch, Steve Cohen, and Ray Dalio all fall short ...
  • Gregory Zuckerman (2019). "Introduction". The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution. Penguin Publishing Group. p. xvi. ISBN 978-0-7352-1798-0.