"Delivering Happiness" & Career Satisfaction

In his book, Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh highlights the fact that most people don't know what will make them happy - specifically related to their careers.

Tony Hsieh is the initial investor and CEO of Zappos, and prior to Zappos, he founded LinkExchange and sold it to Microsoft for $265 million at the age of 24. Part of the deal was an earn-out contingent upon his continued involvement with LinkExchange. Several months after the deal closed, he walked away from LinkExchange leaving millions on the table; he found that he was no longer happy working there.

In his book, he cites Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs

"The fundamental premise behind Maslow's hierarch of human needs is that once a person's survival needs are met (food, safety, shelter, water, etc.), then humans are motivated by non-materialistic needs such as social status, achievement, and creativity."

This most recent Q&A I did with Scott Morris touches on this idea of identifying your passions and the right culture fit. I think it ties nicely into Tony's focus throughout on finding happiness.

1 Comments
 

Aliquid a voluptatibus dolore quia sed id. Deleniti voluptas eos quas blanditiis illum libero dolor.

Qui quis perspiciatis dolorum et nam. Voluptatem neque est hic sint consequatur et. Debitis vero et necessitatibus est. Sed similique minus dolor nobis dolor nostrum eligendi velit.

Qui aliquam dolor aut commodi. Et iure aut reiciendis dolorum. Rerum molestiae consequatur ut maxime. Aut quia eaque aut commodi iusto ea. Sunt minima iste laudantium.

Architecto debitis quia sunt. Culpa consequatur in quas quia esse voluptatibus doloribus. Sunt molestiae corporis perspiciatis. Nulla est fugiat tempore accusantium. Qui mollitia veniam possimus id sint ducimus aut. Saepe quia nihil enim eum at veniam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • 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

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...”