Internship gone wrong – Tragic story of Moritz Erhardt and “smart” drug epidemic
Hi there,
There are worse ways to spend 90 minutes than watching The Internship. Especially once you accept it's really a long Google advert masquerading as a movie. At R25 through Box Office, it's money and time well invested.
The movie is mostly fun with lots of jokes. But a serious message does emerge: just how tough it is nowadays to get a break when you're young and ambitious.
The movie treats us to an inside look at how Google sifts through countless applications to select a few dozen interns for final adjudication on its California campus. And how the prize for the handful who win the competition is, wait for it, a full-time job.
That's not easy to swallow if you're from a generation who regarded job-hopping as a necessary evil to get ahead. I worked at seven newspapers and magazines in my first eight years – every time after being approached with a better deal. Today, with youth unemployment worldwide at stratospheric levels, just getting into the game is an achievement.
So I guess we shouldn't be surprised at the story of Moritz Erhardt, the 21 year old found dead in his London flat last month after literally working himself to death.
Moritz, a German, was one of two selected from 1500 applicants for a seven week internship position at Merrill Lynch/Bank of America. Having been around for almost two months, keen to impress right to the end, he put in three successive all-nighters. Moritz's body was found in the shower, the water still running. His young, healthy body simply gave up.
The UK media is clogged with pundits offering advice, throwing allegations and calling for change. But more relevant in the current context, through their continuous digging reporters have uncovered the widespread use in the City of London of the "smart" drug Modafinil, sold in South Africa as Provigil.
Developed to combat narcolepsy (sudden sleep attacks), the drug apparently focuses the mind for hours without any noticeable side-effects. It is alarmingly popular among investment bankers working without sleep to put together big deals. And, clearly, for interns battling to cope with the brutal hours.
You have to wonder how dumb the system has become.
Man is not designed to be an automaton. He has always been best when well rested. We operate like saws. Sharp, and we are efficient, getting through the task quickly and with ease. Blunted by overuse and what should be a simple task takes forever.
Even in the darkest days of World War Two, Winston Churchill ensured he got plenty of rest, regularly sleeping until noon. Perhaps it's time for society to remember his example and take stock.
That said, we've been putting in a few extra hours at Biznews.com to sharpen up the site. Including, as you'll see when you next visit, design changes that make it easier for you to more readily access the information you need.
In between tagging sharks (seriously) in Mozambique, our marine biologist webmaster Justin has inserted a scrolling box at the top of the home page clicking through to the latest SENS information. A little lower down the page you'll also see a graph showing how the JSE is trading today. Hope you like it. I do.
Thanks for all of the emails last week with some great ideas on how we can improve Biznews.com.
Unfortunately, there have been so many mails that I've literally had to choose between sleep and good manners. No Modafinil for me. You will get a response. It might just take a little longer than London investment bankers might expect!
Thanks as always for your support – and for spreading the word about Biznews.com. Our stats show your assistance is having a huge impact.
Until next time.
Best
Alec
Alec Hogg's weekly newsletter is distributed on Friday mornings. Subscribe for your own copy by clicking here.
Past week's best read articles:
Don't miss out. Here are the other stories that made the Biznews.com Top Ten this week.
And for more great online reading, here's the top five on Gill Moodie's Grubstreet:
The following are the five best read articles on Grubstreet.co.za during the week of November 18 to November 22, 2013:
In case you missed them the previous week: