Michael Grimes has returned to Morgan Stanley as chairman of investment banking, according to an internal memo. His comeback follows a brief period serving as a senior advisor at the U.S. Commerce Department, where he was reported to have run the government’s venture arm that handles its stakes in private-sector projects.
Grimes is one of Wall Street’s most recognizable dealmakers, having spent more than three decades at the investment bank prior to his government role. Over the course of his career he led several headline initial public offerings, including those for Meta and Uber. The memo notes that he will continue to manage and expand relationships with many of Morgan Stanley’s most important global corporate, venture, private equity and sovereign clients.
He will operate from Menlo Park, California, the memo adds. The move places him in close proximity to Silicon Valley clients and to the venture and technology ecosystem the bank has been courting.
Market watchers expect Grimes’s return to support Morgan Stanley as it positions itself for a wave of large technology listings this year. In particular, his reinstatement is seen as likely to back the bank’s efforts around a potential blockbuster public offering by SpaceX. Morgan Stanley has emerged as a leading contender for a significant role in that offering.
The memo also highlights Grimes’s past work with prominent technology entrepreneurs. He has worked closely with Elon Musk on transactions including the underwriting of Tesla’s initial public offering and Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, now rebranded as X. Most recently, SpaceX acquired Musk’s artificial-intelligence startup, xAI, in a record-setting deal announced last week, an acquisition that preceded expectations for SpaceX’s IPO this year that could value the company at over $1.5 trillion.
On the corporate results front, Morgan Stanley reported a 47% increase in investment banking revenues in the fourth quarter, driven by a surge in dealmaking activity. The firm and its clients are positioning for continued momentum in transactions through the current year.
What this means: Grimes’s return consolidates Morgan Stanley’s relationship management at the senior level and signals an emphasis on capturing mandates for large technology and venture-related listings. His Menlo Park base underscores the bank’s focus on Silicon Valley clients.