Would you quit IB to work at a midstage startup?

I had a friend who was a second year IB analyst at Lazard who quit to go work as an account executive at Uber pulling in around 40k a year. It seems like a huge downgrade money wise and career wise but he enjoys his job and is at one of the hottest industries in the tech world. What do you think?

6 Comments
 

It would be tough to adjust to a different work environment and different lifestyle (number of hours worked, smaller paychecks, etc...) But it doesn't seem like much of a downgrade to me though. At the end, it really depends on what you want do in the long-run, and if banking/finance isn't the answer for you after the first 2-3 years, why not explore? Taking risks is easier when you're younger. :-)

 

That seems odd, I've seen listings for jobs at Uber in finance that are looking for 2-3 years of IB experience that pay 150k if my memory is correct. To be honest, I could personally see myself doing that after two years, but not for 40k unless you were getting some equity, which you wouldn't at a company as mature as uber. At 6 figures I'd consider it, under 6 it'd be tough.

 

If you read the OPs post you would notice he said "account executive" aka sales. I would be willing to bet that the person in question is getting a 40k base and then a pretty hefty cut of his sales.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 

Qui hic odit sit doloremque non numquam. Autem aperiam eaque aliquam itaque accusantium aspernatur eligendi. At esse aut doloribus iusto ut repudiandae expedita qui. Placeat nihil quasi repellendus tenetur ipsa non optio. Voluptas est rerum quos soluta dolores.

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
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
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...”