investment banking hours
CommonBrutally long work hours associated with investment banking jobs, often 80-100 hours per week.
Usually said with dark humor or exhaustion. Flex in some circles, a complaint in others.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | they have me working investment banking hours for a marketing salary lmao | Being asked to overwork without the compensation that would justify it. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | second all-nighter this week. investment banking hours at a startup that definitely won't make it | Bitter commentary on overworking for a company with poor prospects. | x, 2024 |
| 03 | my manager literally said 'we're a family' and then gave me investment banking hours. no. | Calling out toxic hustle culture disguised as community. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | not me pulling investment banking hours on a tuesday for a client who will ghost us by friday | Frustration at working extremely hard for a doomed engagement. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Describing a job with extreme or unreasonable hours.
- Complaining about being asked to work nights and weekends regularly.
- Sarcastically describing any startup or grind situation with no work-life balance.
- Comparing current workload to finance industry norms.
Do not use it when
- You just mean a long week. Everyone has those.
- You mean a stressful job without the hour component.
Investment banking hours vs big law hours
investment banking hours
Investment banking hours specifically references finance culture and the 80-100 hour week norm.
VS
big-law-hours
Big law hours is the equivalent for law firms, same intensity, different industry.
Origin and context
Came from firsthand accounts of junior investment bankers sharing 100-hour weeks on forums and social media. Spread into general internet usage as a reference point for extreme overwork.
- First seen
- 2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/investment-banking-hoursUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0