The Wall Street Code

The Wall Street Code tells the story of Haim Bodek, a brilliant Wall Street algorithm builder and former high-frequency trader who now warns against the system he was once part of.

The documentary explores the inner workings of modern-day financial markets and contrasts the current approach to trading with that of the past. It explains how the buying and selling of stocks are now managed by computers executing programmed algorithms, rather than by human beings, leading to a tangle of code that is nigh-incomprehensible to anyone except those who created it.

The film examines several of these algorithm-building architects, beginning with the so-called ‘algo arms dealer’ Haim Bodek, an expert in artificial intelligence who gained recognition while working for legendary trader Blair Hull and financial behemoths such as Goldman Sachs. In 2007, Bodek developed an algorithm that appeared to be flawless, until it suddenly stopped functioning. He discusses the problems embedded in the modern financial infrastructure — a stance that violates the unspoken rules of Wall Street — supported by computer-animated visual aids.