82 Comments
 

yeah, that's what I heard. their tech NYC group seemed to have a good culture. 

 

Yes, it happened.  Yes, it's f**kin tragic.  I hope it gets fully investigated but that team is absolutely not known for being toxic / aggressive with their juniors.  It's still banking so I'm sure this guy worked hard but I'd be shocked if this was one of those 'forced to pull three all-nighters in a row / zero sympathy from seniors' kind of deals.

 

Can confirm… that group was like a bunch of college kids tossing footballs all the time. Most chill on the floor imo. That’s just me outside looking in

 

thats insane. prayers to the family. hope the real reason gets uncovered and if it has to do with work at all RBC and the banks really need to take actionable steps to prevent something like this ever happening again. this is a just a job.

 
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Funniest

Typical useless VP. Drop a link. Only coverage so far is this thread and litquidity.

EDIT: I found it, I don't frequent obituaries often. Monkey shit me and I'll match the amount to donate to his goFundme. RIP.

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

Can you elaborate on RBC tech, please? What are the things you’ve heard because I have only heard good things.

 

Not the VP above, but I can give you some color as a former analyst in another group. The old group head that was pretty well-liked and reputable left like 2 years ago. They did a weird interim situation with no group head under which they seemed to be hard chilling all the time. Sometime last year they hired a new group head and I believe there were some new senior hires as well as they tried to rebuild that franchise. General consensus I’ve heard from juniors is that the new group head and some new MDs all fucking suck. Seems like life in that group has kind of taken a 180, they’re grinding these days, and junior team is pretty burnt out / quite some people trying to leave.

 

Do you remember if it was related to substance abuse? Or something else?

 

While it’s natural for people to assume this is related to work given previous incidents with banker deaths that were work induced, RBC tech is probably one of the least grindy and most relaxed groups in banking. There was literally a viral tiktok a while back of analysts on that group coming in at 11am in hoodies.

I understand people want to use these cases to highlight poor working conditions in the industry in general, but writing on this forum won’t help us get there. If anything monkeys should unite across banks and coordinate no-shows, no late nights for pitch work etc. If reddit apes can take down hedge funds, smart finance apes should be able to coordinate for better working conditions.

 

While it's natural for people to assume this is related to work given previous incidents with banker deaths that were work induced, RBC tech is probably one of the least grindy and most relaxed groups in banking. There was literally a viral tiktok a while back of analysts on that group coming in at 11am in hoodies.

I understand people want to use these cases to highlight poor working conditions in the industry in general, but writing on this forum won't help us get there. If anything monkeys should unite across banks and coordinate no-shows, no late nights for pitch work etc. If reddit apes can take down hedge funds, smart finance apes should be able to coordinate for better working conditions.

So, as someone who worked on the "corporate" side where regular employees do not see often...these incidents are investigated thoroughly.  You are right young analyst, jumping the gun does no good.  Things are looked at on all angles to make sure that working conditions are met and are not the COD of the individual.  If it were really working conditions causing the deaths of the analysts/associates, we'd seen reform change easily happen.

 

Medical doctor here, I know that extreme stress predisposes to illness especially when you're a few weeks new to a stressful job & not yet used to it. But my guess is that most of these IB deaths would still occur even if the unfortunate persons were working 20 hour weeks. Medical doctors work much longer hours (often with 30–40% of IB pay) and rarely drop dead just because of the stress (usually, there are other unrelated illnesses causing the death).

Maybe don't be quick to blame the culture.

My .02

 

Depends on the speciality and if you are at a hospital or private practice but yes can be long hours in many cases (my relatives are doctors). If you want a chill 9-6 and making $250K and working for a hospital, then probably skewing towards something like anesthesia. But if you have your private practice and are looking to scale it (similar to having your own business), then yes you will likely be pulling 70-80 hours a week plus. 

 

Depends on country, location, rank & multiple factors. I've found myself doing 130–140 hr weeks before

 

You must mean residency, you sound like a kid, not a doctor btw. They have instituted caps on hours that can be worked during residency, I’m sure they get skirted in some programs but in our litigious society many programs are careful to adhere. Also, there is variety in the work and a sense that you are helping people or at least learning how to help save lives. In IB, kids feel trapped in a vicious cycle with no real work satisfaction and probably a feeling of hopelessness for some. Doctors in residency also pick up substance abuse habits and there is a higher than average suicide rate, likely much higher than in finance. 
 

there is some validity imo about the kind of people certain professions attract and that role in outcomes, but like I said, its likely a complex matter. I would take the over that the legal profession is the worst offender, 1) because of the personalities attracted 2) the subject matter or lack thereof of the actual work 3) the work environment 

 

you sound like a kid, not a doctor btw.

To be fair though, I'm a West African doctor, not American; but with my extensive anecdotal info from doctors in America, I don't think I'm far off the mark

They have instituted caps on hours that can be worked during residency........ many programs are careful to adhere

That may be true in theory (almost exclusively in America; caps on working hours are probably unheard-of in medicine elsewhere in the world), but I have heard anecdotal accounts from American resident doctors about how their superiors directly "supervise" (dictate) how they fill in regulatory / humane-working-conditions-advocacy questionnaires in order to ensure that the "toxicity" that goes on in real life doesn't get reported / reflected in the questionnaires (including questions about the real working hours). Therefore what seems reflected for PR purposes (caps on working hours) may not have great correlation to actual reality.

there is variety in the work

Partially true, one thing I'll miss in medicine is the extremely high intellectual stimulus.

and a sense that you are helping people

That's something people OUTSIDE Medicine IMAGINE to be a profound source of job satisfaction for doctors. It's rarely that dominant a motivation among actual doctors passing through the burnout. It only sounds great when you're on the outside 

Doctors in residency also pick up substance abuse habits and there is a higher than average suicide rate, likely much higher than in finance

That's to be expected given the generally longer-than-IB hours. But that's completely different from my original point about dropping dead (NOT suicide)

 

Just to clarify. You won't die from pulling some all-nighters. You'll fall asleep before dying, be it at your desk, on a chair, or wherever you'll be. Thousands and thousands of analysts and associates go through this lifestyle and someone dying solely because of the lifestyle is extremely rare. 

My condolences to the family, but he must be on some type of medication or he had some underlying health issues that he may not be aware of. Before getting into IB be aware of where your health stands and during your career learn to prioritize your health.

incentives trumph ethics
 

Yes exactly, this happened to a Bofa summer intern back in 2012 in London (google it). The poor guy pulled multiple all nighters and dropped dead at his flat..Unfortunately he had an underlying condition

 

Anytime you work a 100hr week and all nighters this is generally paired with energy drinks and or pills. Very common.  How else can you keep going when you pull an all nighter and your md has more comments to churn through that will take hours.

That can absolutely cause death/heart issues.   

We will see what really happened here, but very likely the all nighter was a factor.

 

Agree with this comment. I know lots of people who use various stimulants strictly because they feel like they have to for work and not at all for recreational reasons. Personally I would much rather fall asleep on the job, turn in garbage work, and quit before feeling that way — but given the nature of the industry it becomes much more normalized.

I find it sad how many people on this thread are pointing to that as an excuse to blame anything besides banking. I get it from the standpoint of a “it won’t happen to be as long as I don’t do that” form of coping, sure. But this industry operates thrives on the synergy of banks not giving a fuck about you, and people not knowing where to draw personal boundaries. It’s possible to have a little sympathy for the people who are sadly misguided enough to sell their physical health (and sometimes lives) to the system.

 

"Michael was a wonderful team member who was awesome to work with. He will be greatly missed," says Matthew Thomas, the managing director of the fintech investment banking team at RBC alongside his donation of $500."

This is absolutely pathetic. A group head donating $500 to the foundation of a kid who just died in his group? That has to be a joke. Buddy probably clears multiple 7 figs.

 

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