Matt Huang

The most important thing to consider when deciding on a new job or career decision is:


"Do I enjoy the work?"

To be clear, you don't need to enjoy 100% of the job - there will always be parts nobody likes - but as long as the majority of your time is spent doing things you find engaging, I find that to be a much more sustainable approach to work.

Before you ask:

"how much money will I make"
"how prestigious is this company?"
or even, "is this where I think the market is headed?"

Ask yourself:

"am I actually excited by the work? Do I find the nitty gritty, day to day tasks satisfying? Do I get energized by the idea of doing this for another 10 years?"

If you do this, you'll minimize the chance that you end up in a very well-paid role in a prestigious industry / company, but doing tasks you find soul-sucking with people you don't get along with.

That's all I got for tonight - thoughts?

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 80

Matt Huang

Many people think asking “dumb” questions at work makes you look inexperienced.

I think not asking them makes you look even worse.

Somewhere along the way, we were taught that if we don’t understand something, it’s because the other person is smarter, more senior, or operating on some higher intellectual plane.

I disagree.

In my experience, the #1 communication unlock wasn’t becoming smarter, but realizing that confusion is usually a signal of poor explanation, not poor intelligence.

There's nothing wrong with you. You aren't intellectually challenged. You aren't an imposter.

It's easy to fall into this trap, especially if you're young or junior at work.

You automatically assume your boss or anyone more senior than you is more intelligent or knows something you don't, so you keep your mouth shut even if you have questions.

"I probably just lack context, I'll figure it out later" is the DEATH of true understanding.

Yes they may have more context, but that doesn't mean they understand it better.

Ask the "dumb" questions.

The "dumber" and more basic the question, the closer it is to first principles (e.g., "why are we doing this? what's the goal? how does this actually work?").

If they roast you for asking a simple question, it's a them problem, not a you problem.


Here's to asking more dumb questions in 2026 🥂

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 239

Matt Huang

The biggest lie about MBB recruiting? That the smartest people get in.

I believed this for months.

It was 11pm and I'd just finished another long day in banking, exhausted, watching some YouTube tutorial on case interviews.

There was this small voice in my head:

"This is all a waste. Look at all these people getting into McKinsey & Company and Bain & Company - they went to really good schools, they seem so intelligent, so popular. Why me?"

The imposter syndrome was crushing.

Then I started reaching out to people in my network who were already at these firms.

I realized they were just normal people.

Getting into MBB wasn't impossible.

There are specific actions that disproportionately impact your recruiting.

If you could execute on those, you had a high probability of getting in.

Having someone in my corner who'd done it before was how I landed my role in Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

My friends at Leland understand this.

They're running free events with coaches from McKinsey, BCG, and Bain who want to pay it forward:

Breaking into Social Impact Consulting: Ask us Anything: joinleland.com/s/tJUSqUIi?utm_source=inf-matthuang…

Pathways to Successful Consulting Recruiting: tinyurl.com/49rhyusx

Q&A with Ex-BCG PL and Interviewer: joinleland.com/s/BFGW1P7v?utm_source=inf-matthuang…

Break Into MBB Consulting: joinleland.com/s/UC5iHgD1?utm_source=inf-matthuang…

If you're sitting in that empty office right now, questioning everything, you're closer than you think.

You just need someone who's been there to show you the way.

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 85

Matt Huang

Happy thanksgiving 🦃! Thankful for each and every one of you and this incredible community we’ve built.

Every year my family spends time in Boston at my grandparents place - peep the photo of grandma Huang watching some random guy on YouTube (she speaks no English) 👀. I’m thankful for the time we have with family.

What are you most grateful for this year?

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1 month ago | [YT] | 130

Matt Huang

How often do you use a whiteboard at work or school?

1 month ago | [YT] | 12

Matt Huang

As someone who used to spend 80 hrs a week crunching numbers in Excel during my investment banking & consulting days, the recent news that OpenAI has been paying 100+ ex-bankers to train its AI hit close to home.

Most people react to news like this in 1 of 2 ways:

Reaction 1: “Oh no, AI is coming for all our jobs!”
Reaction 2: “Amazing, I can use AI to write my emails and save time!”

Both are valid.

But the truth is while AI will replace many junior-level tasks, it won’t replace human judgment.

The next generation of knowledge workers will be 10x leveraged compared to their pre-AI counterparts.

Entry-level employees will manage AI agents & tools that do the heavy lifting, instead of doing the grunt-work manually in excel.

The fundamental differentiator is judgment and the ability to make decisions when execution is no longer the bottleneck.

I believe that's the difference between creating AI-slop and producing high-signal work that moves the business forward.

It’s never been a more exciting time to build, learn, and adapt.

If you’re looking to land a high-value role in AI, my friends at Leland are hosting a FREE AI Week (Nov 10–13). It's a 4-day virtual event with insider insights on pivoting into AI-focused roles and speakers from OpenAI, Spotify, and LinkedIn.

You’ll learn how to stand out for roles at top AI companies like OpenAI and NVIDIA, plus learn hands-on methods to 10x your productivity with AI tools.

Sign up here: luma.com/aikickoff?utm_source=inf-matthuang-yt

2 months ago | [YT] | 101

Matt Huang

Looking to hire an experienced YouTube video editor. This person will work directly with me on producing content for this channel + my podcast.

Only req is that you have an absolute killer work ethic and are coachable.

Fill in the form if interested: forms.gle/HBtqwK8vQEvLotz56

2 months ago | [YT] | 35

Matt Huang

The most growth I’ve ever experienced in my career came from a week I wanted to quit consulting.

It was 1:05am on a Tuesday night.

The office was empty except for me, a few glowing monitors, and a half-finished Excel model I was supposed to “own.”

I was 6 months into consulting, and it was the first time I’d been given a module that really mattered.

I didn’t want to let the team down, but truthfully? I had no idea what I was doing.

Every night that week, I stayed later than I should have.

Fixing errors in v30 of my model.
Aligning logos & rewriting slide titles until my eyes hurt.
Deep down, asking myself “why did they trust me with this?”

I remember having a 1:1 with a co-worker, and they said something that completely reframed how I saw the job:

“Being a good consultant doesn’t mean you know everything. It means you can think in a structured way, figure out what you can do, and know when to ask for help.”

That conversation stuck with me, because those late nights weren’t just about surviving the work, they were about learning how to grow into the person who can handle the challenge.

Growth hides behind discomfort.

This applies to the recruiting process just as much as the job itself. If you’re recruiting for consulting this year, Leland is hosting a free Consulting Sprint (October 14-16)!

The sprint includes 8+ virtual sessions demystify every step of the consulting recruiting process, from networking to case interviews, hosted by former hiring managers & interviewers at elite firms like McKinsey, Bain, BCG, and more.

Over 5k people attended last year. Signup here: luma.com/consultingsprint2025?utm_source=inf-matth…

3 months ago | [YT] | 170

Matt Huang

Just met up with my friend Neel, an ex-Bain consultant, Schwarzman Scholar, and fellow YouTuber.

Funny enough, I used to watch his videos to prep for my BCG interviews, so this was a full-circle moment.

What I admire most about Neel isn’t just his accomplishments. It’s how intentional he is about his career.

Working at Bain to learn how businesses work.
Joining a cultured meat startup driven by his passion for food.
Moving to Beijing to study in one of the world's largest protein markets.

He approaches every career decision with a level of thoughtfulness that is rare.

We talked about how easy it is to chase the “traditional path,” only to wake up one day and realize you’ve built a life you never wanted. How the real risk isn’t going off the beaten path, but staying on one that takes you further away from where you want to go.

If you’re wrestling with a career decision, here’s my advice: reflect on what genuinely excites you, and chase that. You’ll go further than you ever could by following what society says you “should” do.

Check out Neel's channel here: youtube.com/@neelandrohit6490

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 210

Matt Huang

Some of you who follow me on LinkedIn have noticed I'm posting a lot, and I wanted to share why.

LinkedIn was instrumental for me when I was a student looking for internships, but it's so much more than just a job hunting platform.

No where else will you find such a high concentration of CEOs, leaders, and business professionals.

There's so much to learn from these people, and that's why I've decided to launch a podcast interviewing some of the top voices and founders on the platform.

The first EP is out now (with myself as guest #1, but MANY more interesting people to come) - if this sounds cool, feel free to go check it out!

(and don't worry, I'm still going to be posting on YouTube as I always do 🙂)

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 15