Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the frequent target of criticism for its aggressivepursuit of profits, again found itself in a harsh spotlight Wednesday when a London-based executive resigned from the firm in a New York Times opinion piece that assailed the firm's culture as 'toxic and destructive.'

The executive, Greg Smith, wrote that he was resigning from Goldman on Wednesday because of a shift in the firm's culture that allegedly puts profits ahead of client interests. The attack was quickly rebuffed by the firm, but not before Mr. Smith's piece became a flash point on Twitter and elsewhere.

Mr. Smith