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0 pointsalephnerd1y ago0 comments

In IB/PE we have exit opps like VC or PM, and there is a reckoning in IB/PE leadership that the old school 60-100 hour analyst work culture is toxic.

In Korean companies, the work culture is still stuck in the 90s era IB mentality, as a lot of management are much older and started their careers when chauvanism, racism, functional alcoholism, power politics, overwork, etc was still the norm.

Tbf, SK was still a developing country until 10-15ish years ago.

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hollywood_court1y ago

I didn't realize that South Korean was so behind the times until I read "Human Acts" by Han Kang. That book led me to perform quite a bit of research and further reading on Korea.

alephnerdOP1y ago

The US has plenty of issues, but a lot of Americans take for granted that most countries have even worse work cultures or compensation structures.

That said, it's good for us to keep striving to find an ideal balance between work and personal life.

toomuchtodo1y ago

This is why I love birth rates declining: makes labor scarce and forces the better treatment of those still in the labor force.

We won’t find better work life balance until workers organize and old folks in charge with old ideas and values die out.

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silverquiet1y ago

I'm assuming IB = investment banking, PE = private equity, VC = venture capital, and PM = public market. To be clear, I did not work for a private equity firm itself (I do not posses the psychopathic ambition required to do so), but for a company that ended up owned by a firm; that was the terrible experience.

alephnerdOP1y ago

By PM I meant Product Management. A lot of PMs with MBAs are burned out IB Analysts who did the MBA to escape the grind.

> for a company that ended up owned by a firm; that was the terrible experience.

That's a bit different. Depending on the type of PE, it may have been a PE of last resort.

You only sell to Thoma Bravo if your company is an absolute dumpster fire and has no roadmap forward, so it needs drastic restructuring.

Sucks for line level ICs ofc.

silverquiet1y ago

It was Apollo, but asking me to differentiate between them would be like the dentist asking me which drill I'd prefer; I really don't know the technical details, but they all seem very unpleasant.

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0 pointsalephnerd1y ago0 comments

In IB/PE we have exit opps like VC or PM, and there is a reckoning in IB/PE leadership that the old school 60-100 hour analyst work culture is toxic.

Tbf, SK was still a developing country until 10-15ish years ago.

0 comments

hollywood_court1y ago

I didn't realize that South Korean was so behind the times until I read "Human Acts" by Han Kang. That book led me to perform quite a bit of research and further reading on Korea.

alephnerdOP1y ago

The US has plenty of issues, but a lot of Americans take for granted that most countries have even worse work cultures or compensation structures.

That said, it's good for us to keep striving to find an ideal balance between work and personal life.

toomuchtodo1y ago

This is why I love birth rates declining: makes labor scarce and forces the better treatment of those still in the labor force.

We won’t find better work life balance until workers organize and old folks in charge with old ideas and values die out.

1 more reply

silverquiet1y ago

alephnerdOP1y ago

By PM I meant Product Management. A lot of PMs with MBAs are burned out IB Analysts who did the MBA to escape the grind.

> for a company that ended up owned by a firm; that was the terrible experience.

That's a bit different. Depending on the type of PE, it may have been a PE of last resort.

You only sell to Thoma Bravo if your company is an absolute dumpster fire and has no roadmap forward, so it needs drastic restructuring.

Sucks for line level ICs ofc.

silverquiet1y ago

It was Apollo, but asking me to differentiate between them would be like the dentist asking me which drill I'd prefer; I really don't know the technical details, but they all seem very unpleasant.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse