Why Investment Banking (Senior Levels)?

Am an ED in IB, didn't recruit for buyside roles and do not regret it one bit. Have a very clear line to MD and enjoy the work I do, and the hours have gotten much better over time.

Preference of sales over direct investing. Preference of the soft skills over the hard skills, IB is more of a relationship business and doesn't require nearly as many hard skills as being a great buy-side partner does. Also, it's much easier to get to a senior position in IB than in PE. Comp is also yearly versus waiting a very long time for carry checks (which it increasingly looks like is getting smaller). Finding the work more interesting/chase of the deal. Greater applicability for moving into senior corporate leadership roles at clients, particularly at ED and MD levels.A very defined career path with clear progression and structure to career. Enjoyment of negotiation and managing people. Better WLB at senior levels compared to buy-side, senior buy-side partners have constant pressure to perform from LPs and other partners as nobody wants to be revenue-sharing with someone who doesn't seem to put in as much work. However, for most people, it's just as simple as people would rather be salespeople/advisors than investing. Hope that's in-depth enough for your curiosity.