Trending Content - Off Topic Forum
Career Resources
WSO Free Modeling Series - Now Open Through
June 30, 2026
9 Free Financial Modeling Lessons
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
High Finance Applications
Guaranteed
Get at least one offer GUARANTEED
- 1:1 support
- 92% success rate
- 2,000+ mentor network
- Unlimited Live bootcamps
- AI for resume + LinkedIn
- Networking automation tools
- HireVue simulation tool
- Full course library
- Private Slack community
- 20hrs of mocks
- + much more...
Taliban in Afghanistan is a sweatshop. Be aware. However, they did give Ak47’s and Suicide bomber pataguccis to first year analysts.
Exit opps - Any cartel group
Better than Blackstone Tac Ops even?
Sounds legit
Can't confirm, but heard they took the Jefferies approach and offered gift choices in lieu of cash for a retention bonus, analysts got to pick between receiving a Blackhawk or Humvee
Bump
Taliban, no question. Not sure about European opportunities, but ex-Taliban will have plenty off consultant and perhaps cabinet level opportunities with the next Republican president.
Also, the Tali have their own nation and economy, ISIL needs a host.
You are delusional sir.
How so?
go back to reddit, retard
I would have said ISIS because of their brand name, general aesthetics and successful track record (Mosul takeover, acquisition of Palmyra) but they've been losing out to other groups recently and have been trying to spin a new African platform.
The Taliban on the other hand were flying under the radar but came back to the spotlight recently after their successful acquisition of Afghanistan following the USA's failed bid.
I guess it depends on what you're interested in - if you want to get experience in Jihad and kafir restructuring you should go with ISIS, but if you want to get more exposure to the Sharia vertical - hand/head divesting, hadith underwriting, woman whipping - you should go with the Taliban.
Based on previous cohorts the Taliban may offer better exit opps, as we've seen some analysts who had experience with the aircraft vertical moving to the NYC office. However we have to take into account the fact that the data may be biased because the Taliban have been around for much longer than ISIS (1970s vs. 2010s). That being said, they're both a spin off of CIA Capital so we can reasonably assume that you'll get looks from headhunters in both cases.
Good luck brother, in sha'Allah you'll make top bucket.
Damn, this was really really dark, not sure if ok to laugh
don't worry that was funny as fuck
It's also blatantly wrong, the aircraft group is part of an EB called Al Qaeda. I heard they are invitation only though
Cantor Fitzgerald has entered the chat
Brilliant.
thanks for the writeup (can I pm you?)
ultimately leaning Taliban due to the more established track record and brand name. Seems like there is more upwards mobility too.
probably best move would be to do my junior years in the Taliban and lateral to Isis when more senior?
The smaller elite boutique terror groups are just too volatile for me (have a friend that was at Al Qaeda during their fund blowup at Tora Bora (literal blowup), said it was a shit show
hand/head divesting is what earned you my sb hahahahahaha
Coming from a non-believer, is top bucket realistic? Heard most are killing themselves to make it. Honestly not sure I can make that sacrifice.
.
I think the recruiting efforts are more open to diversity in this case, with candidates from outside the US being more likely to land positions.
Bravo!
“kafir reconstruction” is some kind of euphemism
Epic post. Great work.
Heard top-bucket bonuses this year exceeded last year’s 72 virgins in paradise.
The Taliban because it is a genuine movement composed of fanatics who will die for what they believe in, right or wrong.
ISIS is a CIA-funded, Israeli front whose sole purpose was to take down the Assad regime in Syria and induce refugee populations in Europe to commit terrorism.
If you want real prestigious rogue groups, then see the bands of Israeli settlers, ex-South African and Rhodesian mercenaries, Ulster loyalist paramilitaries, Peru's Shining Path, Mexican drug cartels, and off-budget American intelligence agencies.
Surprised to see an actually correct political take on this site for once. Good on you for being informed while balancing the demands of your job at the same time. Surprised I haven’t seen the 20 garden-variety early 2000s conservative think tank accounts that frequent here attack you for saying that ISIS is an Israeli-front
the second para is 100% correct but id say you're being disingenuous by not mentioning the amount of training and funding the taliban received from the CIA. whilst the original 80s/90s group might have been mostly genuine i think its upto debate to what extent the same can be said of the 2020s incarnation. i wouldnt be surprised if the same ISIS mercenaries were part of the Taliban effort now.
That was the Mujahideen. Once they defeated the Russians, the Reagan administration pulled the rug from under their funding. This decision followed with other heavy political and social implications that caused certain factions of the rebel organization to split into seperate organizations with radical ideologies. These organizations eventually became the Taliban and the other Al Qaeda.
I heard by the end of your stint, you’ll literally be everywhere. Talk about exit ops
Keep in mind the Taliban just had a massive M&A of trillions in US weapons/vehicles. Talk about dry powder
I hope you choose soon cuz I heard they are exploding offers
This has to be one of the strangest topics I have seen on WSO.
It's the best thing I've seen here in ages.
-
Thanks for the feedback everyone.
I am happy to announce I accepted an offer with Isis. At the end of the day, the outsized future growth potential and exit opps won out (72 virgins in heaven is hard to pass up).
I really clicked with several of the junior team members and think they will lets me wear a suicide vest as a new analyst - potentially from day one even.
Couldn't have done it without all the support this website has given throughout the years.
allahu ahkbar
Mashallah
You have balls posting this on the internet.
Hmmm, you are right...you think they would pull my offer? should i delete?
Taliban. Because they won. Unlike those liberal funded losers
Outdated thread
Do those groups exit often to PE shops like QAnonQapital? They nearly had a successful hostile takeover of the U.S. Capitol earlier this year, as well as the potential acquisition of Governor Whitmer, but they both fell just short. Seems to be a borderline LMM at this point but I'm sure they'll be back.
Would love to provide my 2cents as an associate also based in the middle east region.
Would go with the Taliban, Isis has been on a downward spiral since the beheading in the early 2010s. They ended up imploding operations and becoming targets for too many different deals they couldn't handle. They've seriously downsized since its glory days, however still remain functional.
The Taliban has since been on an upward spiral seeing an upward growth in the afghan markets. They're on their way up, I wouldn't be surprised if they're considered a more reputable practice than the Al Queda in the near future.
Although consider this with a grain of salt, I come from America and was only able to land a top mm shop (Hamas, Hizballah)
How are the LGBT diversity hiring initiatives at these groups? Would it be better to identify as gay to gain better access to recruiting?
Also is there protected Fridays at these groups?
Thanks
Not sure how it is now, but last intern class they took a few LGBT recruits up to the top floor of building and threw them off. Maybe the new leadership has clamped down on that behavior? Might be worth giving it a shot.
As for protected Fridays, that's their official policy (per sharia law of course), but there's always an asshole MD/Mullah that doesn't follow it - experiences will vary. Will be on you to pushback.
This is actually a really easy decision. Idk if youre running a process with Al Queda as well, but figured I would also throw them into my analysis. Ranked in order:
1. Taliban (aka Goldman Sachs): proven track record, high retention rates, well established, all lifers who make it to the top live a life of extreme luxury.
2. ISIS (aka PJT): lot of folks may opt to choose ISIS over the Taliban because they are the "hot" new guys looking to shake things up, but they are far less established relative to the Taliban. The Taliban is, after all, the staple of terrorism. ISIS is displaying rapid growth as they started to target atypical, non-target regions (think US, UK, etc.), but this growth is not strong enough to make them a true rival of the Taliban any time soon.
3. Al Queda (Lehman Brothers): Once an icon within the terrorism industry, they burned too bright and had too large of aspirations, and were eventually engulfed in an explosion that led to their demise. While they are no more, they were an industry leader in the early 2000s, and a huge hit in NYC. Sadly, their aggressive and unconventional attempts to realize exponential growth fell short, and they perished like many other once great industry leaders.
Sit facilis non et. Et quia voluptates adipisci. Omnis harum nesciunt libero voluptatem qui.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Sint et rerum consequatur enim. Quas unde officiis temporibus soluta. Aut est ut fugiat id sed voluptatem sint fugit. Quo totam praesentium corrupti aut aspernatur. Non aut omnis cum impedit a aut. Repudiandae optio voluptatem quos natus. Soluta aut omnis aut enim.
Quae est deleniti omnis quibusdam enim. Consequuntur illo veniam dolore eum accusantium.
Ex corporis ipsa laudantium autem blanditiis fuga. Omnis delectus ratione provident rerum autem animi. Natus laborum ut voluptas eius.
Qui fugiat odio quia deserunt vero sint voluptas. Fugiat molestias quasi doloribus quos.
Iste tenetur placeat consequatur minus. Culpa reiciendis tempora cupiditate in odit. Fuga porro omnis perferendis adipisci aut. Eos autem explicabo dolor quibusdam aut. Excepturi dicta omnis delectus ducimus.