John Waldron, 57, has been identified as Goldman Sachs' likely next chief executive officer. The Wall Street Journal reported that the bank's board discussed a potential handover from current CEO David Solomon, with a transition potentially occurring around the end of 2027 or in 2028, though Goldman has stated no definitive timeline has been set.
Waldron joined Goldman in 2000 and became co-head of investment banking in 2014. He has served as president and chief operating officer since October 2018, the same month Solomon was named CEO. In 2025, the board added him as a director and awarded him a retention bonus, signaling confidence in his trajectory at the firm.
The bank's proxy statement credits Waldron with developing OneGS 3.0, an AI-driven efficiency initiative. A staff memo in October 2025 indicated the bank would cap headcount growth through year-end and flag limited role cuts as part of this plan.
In March 2021, Waldron remarked that client demand for Bitcoin was rising and that Goldman was exploring compliant ways to serve that demand. The bank had revived its crypto trading desk, begun offering Bitcoin futures to clients, and was considering a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund.
Since that statement, Goldman's digital assets work has expanded. In July 2025, Bank of New York Mellon agreed to use Goldman's blockchain-based Digital Asset Platform to track ownership of select money market funds.
Waldron's recent public remarks have focused primarily on artificial intelligence rather than cryptocurrency. If promoted to CEO, he would oversee a banking sector where institutions are actively evaluating stablecoins and tokenization technologies.
David Solomon would reportedly remain as executive chairman for one to two years under the proposed transition plan. The board must still approve any succession arrangement.
