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Bridgewater Associates

Engaged Employer

Bridgewater Associates reviews

3.7

58% would recommend to a friend

(593 total reviews)
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Nir Bar Dea

66% approve of CEO

50% positive business outlook

Bridgewater Associates has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 593 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Bridgewater Associates employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Financial Services industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

593 reviews
4.0
Aug 10, 2015

great for some, though not everyone

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

— high concentration of 'sparkly' and brilliant folks, higher than bell curve at most companies — strong sense of community, genuine relationships and meaningful investment in their cultivation — great challenge, if you can make it here you can make it most places — 'bubble' is very cozy, perks, pay, advancement opportunities, etc.

Cons

— 'getting stuff done' takes a while, huge burden of proof to accomplish small things — skills/development doesn't correlate well to outside world, particularly for young hires will take a lot of explaining to line up career trajectory

2.0
Jul 27, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Their track record proves whatever the cons are, these guys are good at what they do. Good pay, free food and snacks all day.

Cons

It may not technically be a cult, but the cult of personality surrounding Ray is pervasive in everything. Daily "devotions" to studying the principles are tracked and penalized if you don't keep up. This culture works for some people, and they are forthright in how it is, so if you have any doubts whatsoever, be cautious about joining.

3.0
Jul 26, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits are great, some people are intelligent and caring. Free redbull

Cons

The culture and principles are great, in theory. However, there aren't great checks and balances and the company has become too large. You have a lot of young kids that have only worked at BW, so they have no idea what good looks like. Especially within IT, you have a bunch of people that think they are smart, trying to interpret and manage by the principles. IT is a funny place to work, as it is completely mismanaged. "Managers" attempt to mess with your mind by using quotes from the principles instead of actually taking the time to get to know their people and build them up. Most people there do not know how to manage, but because they did well on a principles test or because they can 5 step a simple problem, they suddenly become senior managers. I have faith that the core departments don't operate in a poor way, after all...they have exposure to Ray and competent people. Working at Bridgewater is a great experience. You learn that even throwing money at problems doesn't fix things. BW spends millions bringing in pwC consultants, and those consultants make things worse and attempt to quote the principles when making management decisions. At the very least, it's worth a good laugh If you're not very bright, and you can be a yes man, and you don't have ideas of your own...you can stay there forever. IT management will keep you there forever, because you're a mindless sheep.

Viewing 436 - 438 of 593 Reviews

Glassdoor has 679 Bridgewater Associates reviews submitted anonymously by Bridgewater Associates employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Bridgewater Associates is right for you.