Ron Wyden is a Stanford graduate. His son Adam is a graduate of Wharton undergrad and Columbia business school. Plenty of people similarly situated get a DE Shaw internship who don't have a senator for a father. I'm sure the name didn't hurt, but what kind of favor can be cashed in offering someone's son an internship he's qualified for anyway?
Like I said, I'm sure the name helped. But lots of Wharton undergrads get internships with DE Shaw or similar firms over the summer. Firms like DE Shaw hire dozens of interns each summer. They use their summer programs to meet their entry level hiring needs.
Of course, his Wharton admission was not independent of family status. It can benhard to separate government corruption from general privilege, though.
