Impossible is Nothing is a 2006 video résumé by ambitious job applicant Aleksey Vayner which became an Internet meme.
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History of job application
In October 2006, Yale University student Aleksey Vayner applied for a job with UBS AG. Amused by Vayner's apparent puffery, an unknown member of UBS staff emailed his application materials to other investment banks. They were soon posted on various blogs, then YouTube, from where they became an immense viral Internet phenomenon.[1]
Summary
The video opens with a staged interview between Vayner and an offscreen voice. However, the "interview" ultimately consists of a single question, to which Vayner gives a lengthy, rambling response. Using considerable amounts of business-speak jargon, Vayner praises himself and shares his various insights on success, talent, and overcoming adversity. Interspliced with the interview we see clips of Vayner performing various feats designed to look impressive, including bench pressing, skiing, playing tennis, ballroom dancing, and finally karate-chopping a stack of bricks. The video ends with a dedication, and a fairly lengthy credits sequence.
Features
Vayner's job application includes:
- Cover letter
- Resume: One and a half page
- Writing Sample: Eight pages
- A glamour shot of Vayner
- Seven-minute video that features the following feats by Vayner (in order):
- Interview: gives advice for achieving life goals
- Bench press: 495 pounds (225 kilograms)
- Downhill skiing: with jumps
- Tennis serve: 140 miles per hour (225 km/h)
- Ballroom dancing: with female dancer
- Karate chop: seven bricks broken
Dispute with IvyGate
Legal threats by Vayner against UBS, YouTube, and various blogs did not slow its progress, and only provided further fodder. One blog, IvyGate, became famous from its disputes with Vayner. When Vayner emailed a cease-and-desist letter demanding that IvyGate remove "Impossible is Nothing" links from its website, the blog instead published the threat and taunted Vayner to sue them. In further investigating the incident Ivygate learned and published[2] that:
- Youth Empowerment Strategies, a charity Vayner said he started, claimed a "four star" rating by Charity Navigator on its website, when in fact the charity did not exist (other than an organization by the same name unrelated to Vayner) and did not receive the rating. According to The New York Times, Vayner defended himself by saying that "he had outsourced the design of his charity's Web site to companies in India and Pakistan and had no role in placing the Charity Navigator banner on it. Vayner told a reporter that he had the banner taken down immediately when he learned that the group had disclaimed the banner, some time around Sept. 15. When a reporter then told Vayner that the banner was still on the site as of the preceding week, Vayner clarified that he had sent notification to take down the banner."[3] Trent Stamp, the president of Charity Navigator, has stated that he believes Vayner should be expelled from Yale for this.[4]
- Vayner Capital Management LLC, a hedge fund Vayner says he started, had a complete website describing its personnel and investment strategies. The firm did not exist and the website content was plagiarized from a firm in Denver, Colorado.
- Women's Silent Tears, a book Vayner self-published on the Holocaust, contained passages lifted verbatim from various Internet sites. Vayner claimed that the text was a "pre-publication copy".[3]
Other details
Other publications investigating learned that Vayner has variously claimed the following[5]
- His last name was formerly Garber
- He won two games against tennis great Pete Sampras, and taught Jerry Seinfeld and Harrison Ford to play
- He is an expert in Chinese orthopedic massage
- The Dalai Lama wrote his college recommendation letter
- He was an action star and professional skier
- He is a professional model
- He worked for the Central Intelligence Agency
- He is a master in the art of "bone-setting"
- He forged passports for the Russian Mafia
- He attended the Dwight School in NYC and graduated in 2006
- He is immune to every disease known to science
Rumpus Magazine, a Yale University tabloid, had already exposed Vayner as a possible fake before attending Yale.[6]
Aftermath and development of meme
The Internet meme surrounding "Impossible is Nothing" spread in typical fashion: by word of mouth on blogs and by Internet, then covered both as a meme and a human interest story by major newspapers, which further accelerated growth. After the first phase of popularity, blog posters and others began adding their own fanciful contributions to Vayner's legend. These include several classic meme features:[5]
- Hyperbolic statements of accomplishment: Vayner is licensed to handle nuclear waste, must register his hands as lethal weapons, and participates in Tibetan gladiatorial contests.
- Michael Cera, of Arrested Development and Superbad, created a parody video, "Impossible is the Opposite of Possible".[7]
Vayner did not receive a job offer from UBS or any other bank. He took a leave of absence from Yale.[2]
References
- ^ Lener, Lisa. "How Not To Get A Job", Forbes. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
- ^ a b Kaplan, Thomas. "Vayner faces public criticism", Yale Daily News, 2006-10-25. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
- ^ a b de la Merced, Michael J. "The Resume Mocked 'Round the World", The New York Times Dealbook, 2006-10-19. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
- ^ Stamp, Trent (2006-10-10). I'm Not Laughing. Trent Stamp's Take. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
- ^ a b McGrath, Ben. "Aleksey the Great", The New Yorker, 2006-10-23. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
- ^ Craaaazy Prefrosh Lies, Is Just Weird. Rumpus Magazine (May 2002). Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ Cera, Michael (2006-12-20). Impossible is the Opposite of Possible. YouTube. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
External links
- vayner.pdf - Vayner resume
- Impossible Is Nothing - Video on Veoh, archived by IvyGate
- IvyGate - Aleksey Vayner news page
- [1] - "Impossible is the Opposite of Possible", a parody of "Impossible is Nothing", done by Michael Cera of Arrested Development and SuperBad.
