One of the greatest professors in the world of finance and investing on why he chose to be a teacher and not an investment banker, and what he has learnt from market cycles over the past four decades
In a teaching career spanning around four decades, Aswath Damodaran, professor of finance, NYU Stern School of Business, has received numerous awards and accolades. Notably, year after year, he has been voted ‘Professor of the Year’ by the graduating class of MBA students. Damodaran teaches corporate finance and valuation, and his MBA batch comprises 350 students. His classes are so popular that they are held in the amphitheatre. His joy for teaching explains why students ambush him at every opportunity after class—at the gym, at the cafeteria—to get his insights on all things topical in the world of finance and investing.
“I'm not a professor, I'm not a researcher, I'm a teacher first and foremost,” the widely respected valuation guru says in an interview on Forbes India Pathbreakers. In a free-wheeling conversation, he talks about the craft of valuation, disruptive trends, and his learnings over the 40 years of market ups and downs. This is the first of a multi-part series. Edited excerpts: