Real Talk: Morgan Stanley is Becoming Irrelevant

I mean it's not even playing second fiddle to GS anymore. It's playing third fiddle to GS and Dimon's gang. Imagine being beaten at your own game (IBD) in pretty much every league table by some retail bank. That would be like Wells Fargo beating you.

Is MS even relevant? They're tiny (market cap is like 80 billion, that's smaller than Roblox or Lucid Motors), they don't have a commercial/retail arm like Citi, Wells Fargo or RBC that keeps them relevant and recognizable by people outside high financé and they're expanding into PWM which is very very unprestigious (PWM is basically mutual/insurance sales).

I think ML should be the #3 bulgie bracket, because of their titantic retail/commercial division (Bank of America) and the more recognizable and prestigious Merrill Lynch brand name.

12 Comments
 

Yes. Morgan Stanley is irrelevant. Nobody there makes a good living, nobody finds it impressive that you procured a job there, and nobody there leaves for an attractive exit opportunity.

Excellent take on your part. 

 

Numquam est ea impedit possimus aliquid fuga ullam consectetur. Repudiandae porro similique in itaque consectetur. Ut rem at et enim. Provident consequatur et occaecati dolores repellendus quia. Enim sint illum qui non culpa quae adipisci. Adipisci omnis voluptatem aut est molestiae rerum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”