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As I said before, getting a job at Jane Street coming out of college is more prestigious than being a 2nd round NFL draft pick. It is legit S+ tier.

https://x.com/WestsideLAGuy/status/2026488877058503064?s=20

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5838655&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310904#49697017)

By the way, particularly 180 in this tweet that it's not the first time JJC has expressed this gem about Jane Street. I wonder what S+ tier means

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5838655&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310904#49697168)

Grok:

S+ tier (and similar hyper-granular labels like S++, S, etc.) in Wall Street/finance prestige discussions primarily comes from informal, crowdsourced rankings on forums like Wall Street Oasis (WSO), where investment banking analysts, associates, and recruiters debate and vote on firm/group prestige for recruiting, exits (e.g., to top private equity or hedge funds), deal quality, and resume strength.

These aren't official but reflect real-time community consensus, often more granular than broad surveys because they break down by specific groups (e.g., Goldman TMT vs. general Goldman) rather than just the firm.

Key Sources

The main ones driving these discussions and my earlier breakdown:

Wall Street Oasis (WSO) forum threads — These are the epicenter for "S-tier" style rankings in high finance. Multiple 2025–2026 threads compile "unbiased" or "official" prestige lists based on user votes/comments:

"EDITED FINALIZED OFFICIAL 2026 UNBIASED PRESTIGE RANKINGS FINAL" (Feb 2026) — Lists S++ as PJT RSSG, EVR RX, GS TMT, CVP Biopharma/HC, Q; S+ as EVR M&A, CVP (Rest), GS FIG, MS M&A/Menlo.

"[2026] Unbiased Prestige Rankings" (Jan 2026) — Similar: S++ includes PJT RSSG, EVR RX/M&A, GS TMT, CVP HC, Q; S+ has GS FIG, MOE LA, MS MENLO/M&A, CVP (rest).

Other recent ones like "[2026] IB PRESTIGE TIER LIST" or "Official WallStreetOasis.com IB Tier List" show slight variations but overlap heavily on top spots (e.g., PJT RSSG, GS TMT, CVP HC, Qatalyst often in S++ or S+; Evercore M&A/RX, MS M&A/Menlo in S+).

These evolve monthly with market buzz, hires, and deal flow.

Vault's annual rankings (especially the "Most Prestigious Investment Banks" list from their Banking Survey of ~2,800 professionals) provide a more formal baseline that feeds into WSO debates:

For 2025 (latest full release as of early 2026):

Goldman Sachs

Centerview Partners (jumped up significantly)

J.P. Morgan

Evercore

Morgan Stanley

PJT Partners

Lazard

Moelis & Company

Qatalyst Partners

Perella Weinberg

Vault focuses on overall firm prestige (via peer ratings), while WSO tiers zoom in on subgroups and exit-opportunity perception.

Other mentions appear on LinkedIn (WSO posts), Poets&Quants (summarizing Vault), or Mergers & Inquisitions, but WSO is the raw, unfiltered source for the gaming-style "S+" terminology.

In summary: S+ tier is community slang from WSO prestige threads, highlighting the absolute elite subgroups (e.g., Goldman TMT, Centerview HC, Evercore RX/M&A) that outperform even strong firms in perceived cachet and outcomes. Vault offers the closest "official" prestige data, but the hyper-tiers are pure forum lore. If you're recruiting or comparing offers, cross-reference recent WSO threads for the freshest takes!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5838655&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310904#49697218)

Still 180 to be a 45yo man (with no prestige) tweeting shit like that

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5838655&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310904#49697246)

I think JJC came to us from WSO, and the original Brady/HBS post was made on WSO, right?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5838655&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310904#49697231)