Junior bankers sound off: From how much sleep they get to what kind of company they want to work for next, first-year investment banking analysts spill the beans

It's almost Friday! Dan DeFrancesco in NYC here. I'm still laughing at more photos I'm finding from the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards (which is a real thing).

Today we've got stories on a group of influencers being charged with organizing a pump-and-dump scheme, where the Google cofounders $438 million in donations went, and what it's like to fly on Blade's semi-private jet service.

But first, let's see what the youngsters think.

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1. How are the kids?

Junior bankers hold an interesting position on Wall Street. While these young investment bankers are often the butt of the joke — something something Murray Hill something something Patagonia vests — they also represent a key piece of the dealmaking machine.

Don't believe me? Ask any MD if they can spin up a financial model for a deal, navigate an Excel sheet, or create a pitch deck. You'll likely get a blank stare.

That's not to minimize executives roles — the clients aren't going to take themselves out to dinner — it's more so to demonstrate that while junior bankers might sit at the bottom of the totem pole, the work they do (however menial) is still important for deals to get done.

That's why I always find surveys of junior bankers so fascinating. Insider's Emmalyse Brownstein wrote about a recent poll of more than 2,500 first-year investment banking analysts across 50-plus firms.

Emmalyse examined 10 different slides from the poll, which was conducted by recruiting firm Odyssey Search Partners, that show what junior bankers like, and don't like, about their jobs.

A wide range of topics were covered, from return-to-office policies to how much sleep they're getting to what will be most important to them in their next job.

One of the more telling notes from the story was analysts' increased interest in heading to a venture-capital firm.

While private equity remains the favored landing space of analysts, the past two years have seen more young bankers flag VCs as another place they'd want to work after their analyst program ends.

Click here to learn more about what junior bankers love, and hate, about their jobs.

In other news:

2. Stop. Taking. Investment. Advice. From. Influencers. The SEC charged eight social media influencers in what amounted to a $100 million pump-and-dump-scheme. It's just another example of why you shouldn't follow financial advice from someone who uses emojis to tout their returns. Read more about the charges here.

3. A former professional rugby player started this fintech focused on making payments between companies more cost efficient. London-based BondAval, which works with companies like Shell and BP, raised $15 million in Series A funding. Check out the pitch deck it used to raise the round.

4. Being vegan is not a Get Out of Jail Free card. A Bahamian judge reportedly denied FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's request to be released on bail due to his vegan diet. Instead, SBF will be housed in a Bahamian prison notorious for having some of the harshest conditions in the world. More on how overcrowded and unsanitary Fox Hill is.

5. Where does one donate $438 million? Insider's deep-dive profile on what Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are up to these days, which you can read here, also unveiled the charities their foundations have donated to. Here's where all that money went.

6. How to put some funding in your cart. Some of the most active VC investors in the e-commerce space, which had a rocky 2022, shared thoughts on where they are placing their bets next year. Here's what 12 VCs are looking for in e-commerce.

7. The shining stars of adtech in 2022. Thanks to dozens of nominations, original reporting, and conversations with industry experts, Insider identified the hottest companies in advertising technology. Here's our list of the 12 that stood out.

8. If you can do any of this stuff, you can get hired as a freelancer. We mapped out the 7 top trending searches on Fiverr, the popular online marketplace for freelancers. See if any of your skills are in demand.

9. Here's what it's like to fly on Blade's semi-private jet from New York to Miami. For $2,750 for a one-way ticket, it won't be cheap, but there are plenty of benefits. Check out what the good life is like.

10. The do's and dont's of the barber shop. Two barbers told us the 8 rules all customers should follow. Read this so you won't look like a fool next time you get a cut.

Edited by Kaja Whitehouse (tweet @kajawhitehouse) in New York and Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.