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Bridgewater Associates

Engaged Employer

Bridgewater Associates reviews

3.7

58% would recommend to a friend

(594 total reviews)
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Nir Bar Dea

65% approve of CEO

49% positive business outlook

Bridgewater Associates has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 594 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

594 reviews
4.0
Mar 27, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

As open and transparent as I think any company could be - a clear set of values and principles on which the company is run which provides a framework for anyone to contribute if they want to. You get to work with some super-smart people and generally the quality of conversation is an order of magnitude better than other places I have worked at.

Cons

Bridgewater is facing some growing pains as it moves from being a small company run by Ray Dalio to something more institutionalized. Some of the principles that have worked well at a small level don't necessarily scale well, which results (for example) in managers through the ranks translating principles in a sometimes back handed way. Bridgewater lacks a bit of a sense of humor - there is a fair amount of attention in the company on meaningful relationships, but the reality is everyone is pretty intensely focused on their business responsibility. I made fewer good friends at BW than other places I worked. Because Bridgewater can hire great people given its brand, pay is ok but not great in most roles and unless you are in the top tier of the company long term progression is unlikely. But for three to five years, a great experience for most people who get past the first eighteen months,

3.0
Mar 24, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Open and transparent. People really believe in the Principles and operate by them. You'll learn a lot about yourself -- strengths and weaknesses -- at a richer/deeper level than at other places. Good benefits/perks.

Cons

Emphasis on learning from mistakes results in focus on mistakes & weaknesses. Can be a hit on self-confidence. Not everyone is bought into culture resulting in politicking using the principles.

4.0
Nov 27, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

(I've been at Bridgewater 5+ years) - challenging environment that promotes rapid personal development: i've grown tremendously since working here in ways that have impacted both my professional and personal life, if i got nothing more than that from my experience working here, it would have been worth it. - caliber of people: have had the opportunity to work with extremely bright, conceptual individuals that have fascinating backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. - community/meaningful relationships: the community is very tight knit and i've developed some very strong relationships and wonderful relationships during my time here. There are many BW ppl - both current and former employees- that are a significant part of my/my husband's life.

Cons

- can be difficult to maintain work/life balance: it's a demanding environment and the hours can be long (but in my experience definitely not as long/bad compared to ibanking or other wall street options) - nature of environment/challenges can be stressful: I am naturally a high anxiety person, so i've had my bouts of struggles with stress and anxiety while working here. It is intellectually demanding and the culture, while i love and appreciate it, can be difficult at times and i have to deliberately put in place mechanisms for myself to ensure i'm maintaining perspective and balancing emotions. - culture is not for everyone: you certain have to have a certain value set to work here, and i recognize and appreciate it's not for everyone. I've met fantastic people who just don't click with the culture.

Viewing 235 - 237 of 594 Reviews

Glassdoor has 680 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.