A Goldman M&A Banker Helped Bring the Olympics to Los Angeles

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games represent a massive logistical undertaking, relying on existing world-class infrastructure to avoid the high costs associated with new construction. With 17,000 athletes and 15 million tickets, the event dwarfs other global sporting competitions in scale. Gene Sykes, co-head of Global M&A at Goldman Sachs and chair of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, notes that the games will be privately funded, leveraging venues like UCLA for athlete housing. Beyond the Olympics, the current M&A landscape is experiencing a surge driven by the infrastructure demands of AI. While enterprise-level AI adoption currently sits at approximately 2%, the technology is already transforming workflows and acting as a force multiplier for media creators. AI’s ability to synthesize complex data and enhance existing content libraries makes it a pivotal factor in modern deal-making and creative strategy.