Podcast Summary: How to Be Anything – Bonus: I Used to Be a Corporate Butler

Podcast: How to Be Anything
Host: Emily McCrary
Episode: Bonus: I Used to Be a Corporate Butler
Date: August 25, 2025

Episode Overview

This bonus episode of How to Be Anything features Max Uffberg, who reflects on his unexpected stint as a “corporate butler” at a wealth management firm in Philadelphia. Through storytelling and candid anecdotes, Max details the surreal world of serving the ultra-wealthy, the odd tasks that came with his role, and what the job taught him about work, people, and himself. Host Emily McCrary frames the episode as part of a series spotlighting unusual former jobs not always visible in typical careers reporting.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

How Max Became a Corporate Butler

• Max, at 23, juggled catering, bartending, and freelance journalism in Philadelphia.
• He heard about the butler position through a fellow caterer, Jess, who also worked at the wealth management firm.
• The firm occupied several floors in a downtown skyscraper; one floor featured ornate dining rooms for client meetings and high-end meals.

“I used to be a butler at a wealth management firm in Philadelphia… I was 23 when I was working there.”
— Max Uffberg [01:16]

Job Duties and Experiences

• Core Tasks: Setting up rooms, serving meals prepared by a Michelin-star chef, and “being on call” for a range of tasks.
• Unusual Requests: Delivering dry cleaning, walking a client’s dog, and keeping clients company with casual conversation.
• Dress Code: Required to wear a tuxedo shirt, black vest, and bow tie. Max used a clip-on version because he couldn’t tie a real one, which mildly annoyed the chef.
• Infused Water Mishap: For six months, Max mistakenly used zucchini instead of cucumber for the daily water jug. The chef discovered it after a spit-take.

“Apparently... I was supposed to infuse it with cucumber. But I’d been infusing it with zucchini for the last like six months.”
— Max Uffberg [04:48]

Workplace Culture and Camaraderie

• Max and Jess shared an “office” that was actually a supply closet with desks. They worked together closely, using a bell to know when they were needed.
• They built playful routines, such as a makeshift basketball game with trash bins and paper, to make the days go faster.

“We made like a kind of hacked together basketball game using a trash bin and... crumpled up paper.”
— Max Uffberg [06:19]

Interactions with Wealthy Clients

• Many clients were friendly—some professional athletes—while others ignored him as “an invisible helper.”
• Max describes both the perks (Michelin-star meals, daily lunches) and the social dynamics, where butlers were often perceived as transient staff with “guests” assuming they had bigger ambitions.

“There was always sort of an assumption that I was doing something else, I think was vaguely insulting, but I would just grin and nod.”
— Max Uffberg [02:17]

Ethics, Perks, and the Infamous Parking Pass Incident

• The company validated parking for most staff, but not for lower-tier employees like Max.
• During a particularly icy winter, Max couldn’t bike to work (due to leg surgery). A receptionist friend secretly provided him with parking passes.
• This “unauthorized” benefit was discovered, leading to Max’s termination. He chose not to implicate his colleague.

“I was called into a meeting with HR, and they told me that the jig was up… I was promptly fired. The woman who fired me was really nice. She actually cried while she was firing me.”
— Max Uffberg [09:05]

Reflections on Identity and Class

• Max sometimes saw clients or staff reading publications he’d written for, but never revealed his double life.
• He reflects that while serving as a butler wasn’t his ambition, he resisted any implication that it was an “unworthy” job—acknowledging both the dignity of all work and the squeeze on low-wage workers.

“I didn’t want to give into this notion that it’s an unworthy job or something. That job reinforced… two kind of contradictory thoughts. On the one hand, people are people regardless of their station in life... And yet at the same time it did remind me just how much those that are sort of the lower end earners can be squeezed.”
— Max Uffberg [10:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Infused Water Mishap:
  “She was not happy. That was strike one, I think, was cucumber for zucchini switcheroo.”
  — Max Uffberg [05:19]

• Cheeky Office Games:
  “We would do all sorts of silly little kind of pranks to make the day go by.”
  — Max Uffberg [06:33]

• On Being Let Go:
  “I remember consoling her, telling her it would be all right, giving her a tissue.”
  — Max Uffberg [09:35]

• On Career Aspiration:
  “I didn’t want to… assure them that buttling was not my life’s calling. Because for some people, it is.”
  — Max Uffberg [10:06]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:16] — Max introduces his job history and route into buttling
• [02:17] — Describing duties, the dress code, and early impressions
• [04:48] — Infused water mistake and kitchen mishaps
• [06:19] — Office camaraderie and playful work hacks
• [08:08] — Parking pass dilemma and firing
• [09:05] — Being let go and reflections on leaving
• [10:06–10:25] — Reflections on work identity and class

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode balances humor and empathy. Max is self-deprecating, honest about his mistakes, and candid about the sometimes absurd realities and quiet indignities of service work. The storytelling feels intimate, often wry, but always sincere and respectful toward people in all sorts of jobs.

Final Reflection

This bonus episode of How to Be Anything offers a rare, human window into the hidden labor supporting high finance, the strangeness of living between worlds, and the importance of finding meaning (and fun) wherever you work—even in a tuxedo shirt in a glorified supply closet.