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Bridgewater Associates

Engaged employer

OK for a short stint, declining - Anonymous employee Bridgewater Associates Employee Review

2.0
6 Feb 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

For a short stint this is a good place, maybe right out of college. You get to learn a billionaire's way of managing and thinking. The Principles are wise guidance. You will get pushed and learn valuable lessons about yourself to take away and use later. Transparency into all meetings, including those of CEOs and top management. Pay is good. Food and benefits outstanding.

Cons

The upper management has lost itself. Ray needs to go for the sake of his own company. His standards are untenable; no one is good enough because no one else is Ray. He nitpicks and blasts the upper management he is "mentoring", who then carry down the idea that we are all failing to middle management. That attitude then permeates through the whole company. Words and phrases like "three-pronged attack on badness" , "triage", and "hitting rock bottom" are part of the lexicon. Principled management gets twisted around. The company is largely out of touch with the outside world, in some cases even shunning it. Networking opportunities outside the company are limited to nonexistent during the course of business and weak alumni network. Diversity is joke. 90%+ of the front office positions (Research, Account Management, Trading) male. Somewhere close to 80% white. Technology in shambles. Company is pushing tech resources to develop applications and programs to promote the Principles and manage once Ray leaves, while leaving gaping holes in the stack that interacts with the financial markets.

Explore other reviews about Bridgewater Associates

5.0
11 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Incredibly unique and insightful team culture

Cons

Bottlenecked by middle management decisions occasionally

4.0
21 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Interesting place to work if interested in finance

Cons

Wide variety of cultures across teams

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