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Bridgewater Associates

Engaged Employer

Want to join a cult? - Anonymous employee Bridgewater Associates Employee Review

2.0
Jul 15, 2016
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).

Explore other reviews about Bridgewater Associates

5.0
Jun 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Incredibly unique and insightful team culture

Cons

Bottlenecked by middle management decisions occasionally

4.0
May 21, 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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