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Bridgewater Associates

Engaged Employer

Bridgewater Associates reviews

3.7

59% 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
2.0
Jul 15, 2016

Want to join a cult?

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of very intelligent people, some genuinely helpful people (before they inevitably get fired). Great over-market pay. Probably the best place in the world to learn how to think conceptually and learn to question everything, ad nauseam. After you quit (or get fired), there is a great support network of ex-BW folks who will commiserate with you on the lunacy of the place for years afterwards. Instant conversation starter: walk into a room, tell people you worked with BW, watch the looks on their faces and enjoy their rapt attention as you tell them stories that would not be out of place in a best-selling fiction novel.

Cons

The people, the people, the people. After about 5 years, they successfully manage to fire anyone who has even the slightest reservation about building a career based on the body count of co-workers. Cult-like culture - slavish "principle" zombies run amok, creating "baseball" cards and feasting on the energy of anyone with the audacity to actually try and get anything done. There are about 10 people in the company who can actually get anything done, everything else exists only to turn the crank on routine things (at 10x the cost it would take anywhere else).

1.0
May 31, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free meals, gym, good pay

Cons

Horrible management, incredibly abusive environment, fake "meaningful relationships" that are only illusions (no-one actually gives a damn about you, LOTS of politics (I know people who wouldn't get fired if they tried, because they were with the "in crowd"), Absurd amount of mindless nonsensical work, horrible non compete that will haunt you.

1.0
Jun 16, 2015

Closer than North Korea, and you don't need a visa

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very good at what they do, excellent bond and currency traders, among the best in the world. Also exceptionally good at marketing and client service, better than any organization I have worked for in ideas-led selling. Smart people, who are very aggressive, will rough you up a lot, and can learn from that. Very little tolerance for BS, focused on results.

Cons

Insane culture, which makes most of the people who work there miserable. Founder is an egomaniac obsessed with comparing himself to Steve Jobs, makes all the staff watch videos of his management philosophy and take multiple choice quizzes. Very ruthless work environment, people who are not doing well are subjected to public sessions reviewing their weaknesses. Very bureaucratic, process orientated, and rigid. No real ability to use creativity or initiative. Was probably a great place to work 15 years ago but now kinda Stalinist, great for the few at the top, miserable for everyone else.

Viewing 13 - 15 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.