Bridgewater Associates Reviews | Glassdoor
Bridgewater Associates Reviews
Companies
  • Jobs
  • Companies
  • Salaries
  • Interviews

    Bridgewater Associates Reviews

    Updated March 14, 2019
    312 reviews

    Filter

    Filter

    3.2
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    Bridgewater Associates Founder, CEO and President Ray Dalio
    Ray Dalio
    183 Ratings

    Employee Reviews

    Sort: PopularRatingDate
    Pros

    • "Filled with smart people who know what they are doing" (in 49 reviews)

    • "You learn a lot about yourself and develop a thickness to your skin" (in 16 reviews)

    Cons

    • "I commute from NYC to CT, which ultimately impacts my work/life balance" (in 25 reviews)

    • "Long hours, difficult to move beyond the curve" (in 14 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. Helpful (10)

      "Enjoyed my time there, but make sure you know what you're getting into"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Investment Associate in Westport, CT
      Former Employee - Investment Associate in Westport, CT
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Bridgewater Associates full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Smart people, interesting problems, core of 'honesty' culture good.

      Cons

      Weaker on diversity, gender issues. Culture training can add a lot of overhead.

    2. "Stay a while - learn a lot"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Westport, CT
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Westport, CT
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Bridgewater Associates full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Smart, open-minded professionals, your voice is heard, loop and grow

      Cons

      Culture carrying consumes a great deal of team

      Advice to Management

      Establish an NYC office and avail yourself to a broader, more accessible talent pool.

      3. Join the Bridgewater Associates team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. "Cult like environment"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Leverage in Westport, CT
      Former Employee - Leverage in Westport, CT

      I worked at Bridgewater Associates full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      great perks -free lunch, snacks food and compensation is higher than norm

      Cons

      no work life balance, if you don’t drink the kool-aid (culture) you are out. Way too many thinkers and not enough doers.

    4. "Good place to grow"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      Current Employee - Business Analyst
      Current Employee - Business Analyst

      I have been working at Bridgewater Associates full-time

      Pros

      Great benefits and salary

      Cons

      Culture can be overwhelming

    5. "A challenging place that will make you grow personally and professionally"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I worked at Bridgewater Associates full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Deeply learn personal strengths and weaknesses for future use and evolution
      Work with the brightest minds in the industry

      Cons

      Too much time spent on institutionalizing and testing the culture
      Inefficient and redundant processes and technology

    6. "Not for everyone but it's great for me"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Bridgewater Associates full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Challenging, surrounded by smart people

      Cons

      Hierarchy still exists, it just has a new face. Wold say the meritocracy is still in it's toddler years

    7. "Unique culture/Not for everyone"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Assistant Manager in Westport, CT
      Former Employee - Assistant Manager in Westport, CT
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Bridgewater Associates full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      True meritocracy where you are expected to make and learn from your mistakes and improve on your weaknesses

      Cons

      Difficult to adjust to the culture if it's new to you

    8. Helpful (1)

      "This was an interesting experience"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Management Associate in New York, NY
      Former Employee - Management Associate in New York, NY
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Bridgewater Associates full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      There are a lot of smart people and you get to learn a lot

      Cons

      There is work and you need to stay on top of it

    9. Helpful (2)

      "Pretty horrible, stay away."

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Software Engineer in Westport, CT
      Former Employee - Software Engineer in Westport, CT
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Bridgewater Associates full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Lots of smart people and good pay, but you work your butt off and have lots of free stress, so make sure they are paying you more than any “regular” job. I would not look at anything more than double your current pay.

      Cons

      Needlessly combative and juvenile. All situations turn into cases with personal attracts aplenty, especially by the druids of the firm, those who’ve been there for more than a year. People act like they want to help, but that’s only bc they want a way to make themselves look better. Knowing what I know now, I would not recommend this place to my enemy. I repeat: stay away.

      Advice to Management

      Change. Develop an actual culture, not a bs system that encourages bulling and combativeness.

    10. Helpful (1)

      "One of many"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend

      I worked at Bridgewater Associates full-time

      Pros

      Smart people, lots of free food

      Cons

      Too many to share. Be wary