Ken Knuetel

Share your journey to Bain.

My journey to Bain began in 2016 when I saw Lee-Sedol, one of the strongest Go players in the world, get defeated by AlphaGo, the first artificial intelligence program to beat a human Go player. This event made me realize the transformative potential of AI, globally. Watching a documentary about it afterwards, I was very impressed and thought, “wow, these people are really smart.” Being this skilled in such a competitive game usually takes a lifetime, but they managed to surpass everyone’s abilities in a relatively short timeframe thanks to AI. I decided I needed to learn code if I wanted to make a similar impact.

This was challenging as a business student. I mainly wrote programs on the weekends and from then on chose university courses related to coding or AI. A healthy dose of naivety and my belief in my abilities helped keep me from being overwhelmed. After gaining some experience working in a startup, I applied to Bain, a placed I believed could allow me to leverage AI in various industries and truly make a difference in the world.

Do you feel like you can do impactful work at Bain? What opportunities excite you?

Whether it involves airports, pregnancy, or even mayonnaise, I get the opportunity to work with market leaders in their respective industries at Bain. There are few opportunities that provide such early access to the C-suite in one's career. The opportunities that excite me the most are those that have the greatest potential for positive impact. Our alliance with generative AI contributes to this. It is immensely rewarding to be a part of a project and then see your or your colleagues' work being discussed in the news the same day it is published.

“Build Your Own Bain” means creating a thriving career on your own terms. How have you been able to “Build Your Own Bain?”

Currently, I live in a city without a Bain office, which allows me to work remotely. However, for me, thriving also means forming lasting relationships with as many colleagues as possible. Luckily, there are many passionate individuals at Bain and unlimited opportunities to engage with them. The day I accepted my offer, I received a call that morning, inviting me to the summer party that same day, even before I had officially started. Apart from countless other events and training sessions, I've also had the opportunity to travel to nine different offices in seven countries (ten offices, if you include renting a house in the mountains with some fellow Bainies). After just one year, I felt like I had friends in every major city I visited.