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Gen Z consultants leave Big companies, TikTok becomes the hottest 'exit opportunity' Mar 30, 2026, 09:58 AM Corporate influencers are on the rise, wielding influence from LinkedIn to TikTok. In this era, top elites have a surprising new choice for leaving their jobs: diving into social media and content creation. Kelly He-Sun found one of the most competitive jobs in the corporate world at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) - working as a consultant - and was promoted to project leader by age 25. But she didn't see herself staying in consulting forever, so in 2024, she ended her nearly six-year career. She originally planned to travel and create fashion and lifestyle content, but when she made a video about consulting work, it unexpectedly went viral. She told Business Insider: 'I made a video about our typical working hours, and it unexpectedly went viral. I didn't expect it to get so much attention, and that's when I realized, 'Wow, people are really interested in this kind of content." He-Sun is part of a growing number of Gen Z and millennial consultants abandoning traditional career paths to pursue content creation. Their consulting-related posts on TikTok and Instagram can garner thousands of views, and the #corporatelife hashtag has over 1.7 million related posts on TikTok. For some consultants from top firms like MBB (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) or the Big Four accounting firms (Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, EY), their backgrounds represent credibility and an opportunity to offer an inside look into an industry known for its secrecy and intense competition. Three consultants-turned-content-creators shared with Business Insider how they leveraged social media to turn their high-profile jobs into lucrative exits and why they have no plans to return to consulting. Content Creation Earnings Can Be as Lucrative as Consulting He-Sun's posts cover consulting and general career advice, such as how she became one of the youngest managers at a top consulting firm and how to appear competent while asking for help. She started posting content in 2024 and ramped up promotion in 2025. By 2026, she had earned about $42,000. With over 50,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, her income comes mainly from brand partnerships but also includes affiliate marketing, user-generated content, and one-on-one coaching. Joe Fenti, with over 800,000 followers, quit his job at a Big Four consulting firm in 2024 to become a full-time comedian and content creator. Fenti also uses his background to satirize consulting and corporate culture sharply. One of his short videos, titled 'Timesheets In Consulting Make No Sense,' has garnered over 2.2 million views. The 29-year-old started posting content while still at the company but eventually quit when he earned more from content (mainly through brand partnerships) than his consultant salary. Jack Kim, 29, left Bain last year after starting to post about consulting on YouTube while still at the company, realizing there was a huge audience seeking insights on how to enter the consulting industry. He and a friend now run a company called Casebuddy, offering one-on-one consulting coaching to help clients through the entire job application process, from resume writing to successfully navigating case interviews. Their fees range from about $1,300 to $6,700 depending on services. He said most applicants find the program through his social media accounts. Growing Opportunities in the Creator Economy While influencer marketing is often associated with consumer brands, it's becoming increasingly important for B2B companies - which typically want to partner with creators whose audiences include professionals. Lifestyle influencers might secure brand deals with retailers like Walmart or Sephora, while corporate influencers could collaborate with SaaS software companies. Fenti has worked with Grammarly and Scribe, while He-Sun has partnerships with Microsoft, Indeed, and several SaaS startups. Brendan Gahan, founder of Creator Authority, told Business Insider, 'We're in the era of the rise of B2B content creators,' adding that the number of creators focusing on business and corporate life is 'exploding.' This trend can be seen in the growth of LinkedIn content creators and executives at large corporations becoming de facto thought leaders. McKinsey once released a 'LinkedIn Top Voices' list including its leader Bob Sternfels. Lara Sophie Bothur previously revealed to Business Insider how she became Deloitte Germany's first corporate thought leader. Gahan said the B2B influencer marketing market is expected to reach $7.7 billion by the end of 2025. A LinkedIn report from 2025 shows B2B marketers use influencers to boost brand awareness, build trust, and drive sales conversions. Gahan noted that influencers can help shape a brand's reputation and public opinion, influencing decision-makers within companies. For example, if multiple consultants at a firm become interested in a software product promotion they see online, the likelihood of their company purchasing it increases significantly. A Peek into the Mysteries of Consulting The consulting industry is known for its secrecy, prestige, and high earnings, so many young professionals naturally want to understand how it works and how to enter it. Kim said when he first applied to consulting, he found plenty of online information about entering fields like finance and law, but consulting remained a mystery to him. 'I couldn't find any content specifically about consulting,' he said. Fenti believes this content resonates because consulting can be a 'vague' industry filled with 'empty answers' about what consultants actually do. He also thinks his jokes about consulting and corporate culture strike a chord because MBB and the Big Four collectively employ over a million people, and 'it's nice to see your world reflected in others, to see frustrations you feel echoed elsewhere.' Currently, none of these founders plan to return to the corporate world. He-Sun said that after experiencing the hardships of consulting work, she finds content creation 'really easy' in comparison and plans to expand her income sources in the coming year. Kim said he loves his mentoring business and plans to keep growing it, but ultimately he wants to become a more successful content creator. Fenti, in addition to creating content, wants to do more stand-up comedy and says he'll never go back to working for a company again. 'I love being my own boss, setting my own schedule - it feels incredibly liberating.' This article was initially drafted by Business Insider TW using AI-assisted translation and verified by human editors.

For some Gen Z consultants, the hottest new exit opportunity is TikTok. Mar 29, 2026, 3:28 AM PT Kelly He-Sun landed one of the corporate world's most competitive jobs as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group and got promoted to a project leader by age 25. But she didn't see herself doing consulting forever, so in 2024, she quit after almost six years. She planned to spend time traveling and creating fashion and lifestyle content, but when she made a video about working in consulting, it took off. "I made a video about the number of hours we typically work, and it just blew up. I didn't expect it to draw that kind of attention," she told Business Insider. "That's when I started realizing, 'Wow, people are really interested in this type of content.'" He-Sun is among a growing group of Gen Z and millennial consultants who are trading traditional exit opportunities for content creation. Posts about consulting rack up thousands of views on TikTok and Instagram, while the #corporatelife hashtag has over 1.7 million posts on TikTok. For some consultants from top firms, like MBB or the Big Four - which includes McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, and PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, and EY - their background can signal credibility, as well as the chance to get an insider's perspective into an industry that's famous for its secrecy and notoriously competitive to break into. Three consultants-turned-content creators told Business Insider how they leveraged their high-profile jobs into lucrative exits with the help of social media, and why they have no plans to go back. Content creation can be as lucrative as consulting. He-Sun posts all about consulting and general career tips, like about how she became one of the youngest managers at a top consulting firm and how to ask for help while still sounding competent. While she started posting in 2024, she ramped up her strategy in 2025. So far in 2026, she's made around $42,000. With over 50,000 followers between Instagram and TikTok, He-Sun makes most of her money through brand deals, but has also earned through affiliate marketing, user-generated content, and 1:1 coaching. Joe Fenti, who has over 800,000 followers across accounts, left his job at a Big Four consulting firm in 2024 to become a full-time comedian and content creator. Fenti also capitalizes on his background by roasting consulting and corporate culture. One sketch, titled "Timesheets In Consulting Make No Sense," has racked up more than 2.2 million views. The 29-year-old started posting content while he was still working at his firm, but finally quit when the money he was making from content, primarily via brand deals, exceeded his consulting salary. Jack Kim, a 29-year-old who quit his job at Bain last year, started posting about consulting on YouTube while he was still at the firm and realized there was a huge audience looking for insights on breaking into consulting. He and his friend now run Casebuddy, a one-on-one mentorship business that helps take clients through the entire process of landing a consulting job, from résumé writing to acing case interviews. They charge between around $1,300 and $6,700, depending on the service, and he said most people applying for the program find it through his social media presence. A growing opportunity in the creator economy. While mostly associated with consumer brands, influencer marketing is becoming increasingly important to B2B companies - and those companies often want to work with creators whose audience includes working professionals. Whereas lifestyle influencers might get brand deals with retailers like Walmart or Sephora, corporate influencers can score brand deals with SaaS companies. Fenti has worked with Grammarly and Scribe, while He-Sun has partnered with Microsoft, Indeed, and several SaaS startups. "We're in this era of the rise of the B2B creator," Brendan Gahan, founder of Creator Authority, told Business Insider, adding that the number of creators focused on business and corporate life was "exploding." The trend can be seen in the growth in LinkedIn content creators, as well as the way executives at major companies have become de facto influencers. McKinsey has promoted its own "top voices on LinkedIn," a list that included leader Bob Sternfels. Lara Sophie Bothur previously told Business Insider how she became Deloitte Germany's first corporate influencer. Gahan said B2B influencer marketing was expected to be worth $7.7 billion by the end of 2025. A LinkedIn report from 2025 found that B2B marketers use influencers to raise brand awareness, build trust, and convert sales. Gahan said influencers can help shape the reputation and opinion of a brand, and in turn influence the decision makers inside companies. For instance, if a bunch of consultants at a firm become interested in a software product they've seen promoted online, it's more likely their company will be interested in buying that product. A glimpse into the mystery of consulting. Consulting is a notoriously secretive, prestigious, and high-paying industry, so naturally, plenty of young professionals are hungry for the inside scoop on how it works and how to break in. Kim said when he was first applying to consulting, he found there was a lot more information online about how to break into fields like finance and law, while consulting was still a mystery. "I wasn't really able to find anyone that was specifically doing consultant content," he said. Fenti said he thinks the content resonates because consulting can be a "nebulous" industry full of "fluff answers" about what consultants actually do. He also thinks his jokes about consulting and corporate culture resonate because the MBB and Big Four firms collectively employ over a million people, and it's "nice to see the world you live reflected back to you and to see the frustrations you feel is also felt elsewhere." None of the creators currently has plans to return to the corporate world. After the grind of consulting, He-Sun said she finds content creation work to be "really easy" in comparison, and she plans to expand her revenue streams in the coming year. Kim said that he loves his mentorship business and has plans to continue growing it, but ultimately wants to become a much bigger content creator. Fenti wants to do more stand-up comedy in addition to his content creation, and said he would never go back to a corporate job. "I love being my own boss. I love creating my own schedule," he said. "It's such a freeing feeling."

OPINION: Elon's choice of infamous consulting groups challenge the morality of its education. University's ties include Boston Consulting Group, who provided modelling for postwar 'Gaza Riviera' project. The haste of Elon Day's fundraising is over. Now is an important time to reexamine what it means to be a university using its financial ties. It seems Elon News Network haven't talked about the consulting half of the picture. The Elon-Queens merger also brought Elon University to consult with ethically dubious consulting firms, including the consulting firm that did infamous financial mapping used in a proposal to turn the bombed-out Gaza strip into a resort. Elon's tax filings show multiple meetings with another firm that specializes in using student demographic data for "tuition leveraging." Direct ties to this sort of thinking poses questions for Elon's calling as a university. Elon's website claims the teaching "prepares graduates to be creative, resilient, ambitious and ethical citizens of our global culture." How can Elon News Network claim the imagery of respecting humanity while doing business with those who don't? There is a widening gap between image and reality. With each Elon Day, there is a sweat-stained man panting in a bathroom taking off a Phoenix full face mask. With each strange deal Elon makes with a dubious consulting firm, the goal of college steps closer to being a slogan. Elon's choice of problematic consulting groups for the Queens merger Elon employed Boston Consulting Group to oversee the merger of the two universities, according to a statement by Elon. Boston Consulting Group is a major player in consulting. Consultants financially modelled the reconstruction of Gaza into a resort-like setting, according to The Financial Times. This specific branch of the group even offered "relocation packages" that gave $9,000 per Gaza resident. Boston Consulting Group said those employees were in a rogue branch in a public relations memo. Boston Consulting Group provided their financial modelling to The Tony Blair Group, who fashioned a "Gaza Riviera" project with a "Trump Riviera" and "Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone," according to The Financial Times. This is known in the consulting world, but the Elon-Queens merger gains another layer of territorial irony for students. For big consulting firms Boston Consulting Group, a successful business model involves branches acquiring clients at a rapid rate. It still doesn't seem like a good idea for Elon's consulting firm to work with an aid foundation that Doctors Without Borders describes as "slaughter masked as aid" because of the number of killings. This is not a thread on X. It doesn't matter what side of the spectrum you are on, or how you feel about Gaza. It seems unwise for a university to take direct advice from a company whose business culture leads to war opportunism. Boston Consulting Group helps with the financial modelling of authoritarian regimes of Saudi Arabia, according to The New York Times. Boston Consulting Group also profited off of the corrupt business practices of Isabel Dos Santos, daughter of Angola's authoritarian leader, for years, according to The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Elon employed Huron Consulting Group for the due diligence of the merger. They are known for their massive layoffs in the colleges they consult with and breakneck efficiency. One report drew inspiration from the dispossession of Hurricane Katrina victims and applied it to education solutions during COVID-19, according to The Eagle. Consulting with firms specializing in tuition pricing Elon University consulted with Ruffalo Noel Levitz, a firm that specializes in "tuition leveraging" on multiple occasions, according to Elon's non-profit filings in the fiscal endings of 2022 and 2023. These firms leverage mass amounts of student data to find families' ability and willingness to pay in order to gauge tuition efficiency. Ruffalo Noel Levitz uses wide sets of sociological data to calculate the perfect amount of aid, need based or otherwise. These initial calculations are offered as bid to families, according to The New York Times. Perhaps incidentally, Elon has been slow to update some scholarships despite tuition rising with inflation every year. College Fellows didn't get a raise to their tuition until recently. Elon raised other scholarships, but the College Fellows scholarship has been the same $7,500 over the last four years. It wasn't until this academic year that Elon raised the amount to $8,000. Now the students can afford five more $100 parking tickets. If a student is a junior and a College Fellow now, they will have lost $6,832 across their college career because of unpredicted tuition raises. If they are a senior, the amount hovers around a similar $6,482. That is close to the annual scholarship amount. As Elon News Network look up and see the start of its adulthood, it is hard to see the goalpost stay still. Like wild and endless grass, it continues widening, continues to spill distant. Elon News Network now see the nervous world, the cautious world, and every kind of inflation - the food at McEwen Dining Hall is really good though. Elon is a business-savvy school with a beautiful campus. That is why Elon News Network exist. Consulting is an important way to gain guidance through uncertainty. Concepts like tuition leveraging have their place. How long will Elon News Network consult with these groups and wield the total imagery of a liberal arts university? A university's goals are informed with how it gets its advice. There is a classical picture of education that I sometimes hear older professors hearken back to. One of my professors referred to Elon University as the "Garden of Eden." Maybe education has become a victim of the cynicism of its age, where every comfortable value seems unmasked by events on the edges of the world. When you minimize the moral goal of education you become like the nearby High Point University. They barely use liberal arts language to cover up their goal. High Point is an example of a university that runs like a business on every level. In a way, it is honest. I remember touring the campus during the last days of COVID-19 pandemic. I completed a tour by golf cart as I saw the purple-doused networking steakhouses and the fake airplane seating that simulates answering work emails. My tour guide ushered me into a room into a meeting room. It is where they close the deal and make the kill, a more one-on-one method learned from sales. The saleswoman-type had an entrepreneurial distance in her face as she passed out High Point University literature and spoke to me. The pamphlets encouraged vague life skills and business leadership. I took the pamphlets politely and stumbled into the sun. Gates and fences surround the university and confine its fountains and strange statues from town. I already made up my mind to throw away the pamphlets before I got to the car. I wonder how many kids have been to Elon and thought the same. They are wrong now, but maybe in 10 years they won't be.