Do people swear at the office?

Title should be very straight forward. I was wondering if people usually swear in IB. I don’t mean like in front of clients but more like an associate talking to their analysts.

20 Comments
 
Funniest

You're allowed to swear but it has to be justified. If it's 3PM, you're on your second week and only have two live deals to work on and you're bitching and moaning throwing F bombs around left and right then you're just soft. 

On the other hand, if it's nearing midnight and you go to the kitchen to realize that one of the Associates has fucked the apple pie that your mum packed you with your lunch, it is acceptable to come back to the floor and be like "Yo, did you fuck my apple pie???" 

 
BazingaDinga

You're allowed to swear but it has to be justified. If it's 3PM, you're on your second week and only have two live deals to work on and you're bitching and moaning throwing F bombs around left and right then you're just soft. 

On the other hand, if it's nearing midnight and you go to the kitchen to realize that one of the Associates has fucked the apple pie that your mum packed you with your lunch, it is acceptable to come back to the floor and be like "Yo, did you fuck my apple pie???" 

You are LowCaliberTalent aren't you.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Jesus fucking Christ. How do you deal with someone who can’t handle “Yup”? He sounds like my grandmother.

 

As others have said, it needs to be justified.  Something else I'll add is that it can't be particularly offensive to a specific group.  I like to say "F**k is OK, but 'Son of a B!tch' will have HR make you apologize to all your coworkers born out of wedlock."

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

When I interned at a PE fund people swore all the time, having the partners quasi cuss out a client was hilarious. they also didn't give af when I swore (neither did anyone else on the team

 

Yes. 

Amusingly, I know a guy who left a fantastic job because they "swore in the office." One of the most comically lame stories I've heard. 

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

Unprofessional and signifies a regression in human development.

Communicate clearly, be reasonable, and have self control and there’s no need.

Creates a better office culture - hence why PE forms with kind cultures are highly coveted and have much better retention rates.

Win win for everyone  

 

When I worked in PE for a short time, my boss would never cuss except that one day he got hit with a $300K water charge at a portco warehouse and cussed like a drunk sailor. He was a Navy guy though. I was scared. Was very unexpected. I think the water meter broke and we got most of the money back.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Quasi id et et. Repellendus eaque ut culpa voluptates ad vitae itaque. Eveniet quis eum voluptas quis in vitae. Asperiores dolor quia nesciunt perferendis. Modi quis similique fugit et et harum dolor.

Fuga voluptas saepe laboriosam. Non ullam qui aut sequi aliquam. Repellat dolorem voluptates dolores commodi. Assumenda distinctio harum tempora ratione voluptatem architecto. Tempora ut qui ab id. Maxime vel similique laboriosam est quidem. Vitae voluptatibus atque ut hic.

Labore quasi voluptatem perspiciatis natus. Ea perferendis accusantium assumenda autem. Cum sed assumenda error et in. Ratione velit ratione fugit vel id occaecati provident dolore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.6%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.0%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.6%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”