#Hashtag | Oct. 2026
#HASHTAG: JOHNNY HILBRANT
By Redding Worth
ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL
JOHNNY HILBRANT, a Winnetka native, is the creator of PE GUY, the viral social media character who satirizes private equity and the ultrawealthy. For this week’s #Hashtag, his alter ego takes over (visit duetomyrole.com):
I live in Winnetka but maintain a penthouse downtown at the St. Regis. We also summer on Lake Geneva and Nantucket (properties at both). I’ve been in PE (private equity) for 12 years and a partner at my firm for seven. The money is absolutely insane. We’re legitimately printing money rolling up dental and oral surgery practices across the Midwest. These doctors have zero financial knowledge, so we flash them a big number, they get excited and sell, and then we optimize the business and double their productivity. Rinse and repeat, baby. Life is good! My wife doesn’t work (she’s never had to), so she enjoys tennis at the club and mahjong. Our three kiddos are Tarantino (4, gifted), Montauk (2, gifted), and EBITDA (9 months, gifted). If you’re interested in connecting, follow me on LinkedIn. My assistant Candace will be in touch!
#ON MY NIGHTSTAND
“Nose strips for maximum airflow while sleeping, the country club rulebook (I like to brush up on the rules so I can join the board of governors soon!), my Oura Ring charger, my WHOOP charger, two iPhones (one for work, one for pleasure), The Art of War (I read it twice a month), and Sheridan Road magazine.”
#ON MY MOBILE
“This annoying Instagram ‘comedian’ Johnny Hilbrant, who apparently satirizes rich culture and private equity. I don’t get it, but I still watch. Bloomberg, one of the Hadid sisters, Nantucket real estate agents, and my son Tarantino (he’s 4—the youngest person in the world to have an Instagram account).”
#IN MY EARBUDS
“Mostly capital markets podcasts at 1.75x speed, voice notes from my longevity coach, and the playlist from the lobby of a Rosewood hotel we stayed at in Bermuda. It was lovely.”
