AI Skills Overtake Ivy League in Private Capital Hiring Wishlist

Artificial intelligence isn’t just transforming how and where private capital firms invest money. It’s also starting to alter the ways they measure staff performance and reward the high-flyers on their payrolls.

AI proficiency is now a core requirement for many roles in private markets, according to Chris Connors, managing director at compensation consulting firm Johnson Associates.

In the front office, firms want people who can use AI to refine due diligence, conduct research and drive portfolio company value creation, he said. In the back office, outputs vary by function but the expectation is the same.

In private markets, where bonuses are largely discretionary, AI is certainly now part of the conversation on goals and pay outcomes although it’s not a “formulaic driver,” Connors said.

“It’s hard to reward AI productivity when the industry is still figuring out how to measure it,” he told Going Private. “Many firms are also trying to control token costs, so paying people to use more of it is a bit of a Catch-22,” he said.

Bloomberg / October 14, 2026