TMT vs. Straight to PE

What are your opinions on doing 2 years at GS TMT vs. going straight to PE at Silver Lake Partners, Elevation Partners (founded by SLP guys and stupid Bono), or Blackstone?

Obviously, securing any of those PE spots right out of undergrad is pretty ridiculous so I'm probably getting ahead of myself. If the goal is to get to PE and there's an option to go straight there w/o subjecting myself to 2 years of banking, would it be smart to take any of those 3 positions?

This horse has probably been beaten to death on the GS TMT vs. Blackstone thread, but maybe mixing it up with the other 2 PE shops would start a more insightful discussion.

Thanks, all.

10 Comments
 

"If the goal is to get to PE and there's an option to go straight there w/o subjecting myself to 2 years of banking, would it be smart to take any of those 3 positions?"

That answers your own question. If the goal is to do PE then why would you turn down a PE job to do banking instead?

Forget the bullshit about "needing" banking to do PE. It will be a steeper learning curve for those who don't do banking, but PE firms aren't stupid and wouldn't hire you if they didn't think you were capable of the work.

 

lol, do you have any clue how hard it is to get hired out of undergrad to b-stone pe...? They hire like 3 guys a year out of an applicant pool of over 1000. The people who are getting those jobs are studying and working right now... not making online posts about them.

 
Best Response

A number of other PE shops have started doing the same, but none as big as SLP or Blackstone. Elevation Partners, Audax Group, Great Hill Partners are some of the lesser known ones...

I thought an offer after the summer would make things an easy decision, but it hasn't really done it... Judging from your handle, I'm assuming you're at Lazard?

 

Voluptatem blanditiis quibusdam incidunt autem tempore non impedit consequatur. Minima saepe voluptate id et error. Et unde nihil aut non tempora esse. Eos quod rem et omnis dolores. Animi sit et pariatur exercitationem. Modi laudantium cum dignissimos accusamus quia. Ea consequatur labore modi delectus eveniet adipisci deserunt.

Cumque quod deserunt quis vitae labore. Aut autem rerum est enim modi. Maiores aut earum aliquam consequatur ad dicta rerum. Non non ut reiciendis aspernatur ut.

A molestiae officiis delectus quia dolor. Tempore tenetur reprehenderit et est perspiciatis ducimus totam iste. Voluptas non maxime fuga earum reprehenderit. Nisi maiores hic est est voluptatem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”