D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm Reviews | Glassdoor
D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm Reviews
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    D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm Reviews

    Updated August 2, 2017
    104 reviews

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    4.2
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm Chairman David E. Shaw
    David E. Shaw
    66 Ratings

    104 Employee Reviews

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    Pros

    • Exceedingly careful to make sure each employee is happy with their work/life balance (in 13 reviews)

    • great culture, smart people--very smarty people (in 16 reviews)

    Cons

    • Work-life balance could be improved (in 4 reviews)

    • sometimes work pressure is more so keep your health in check (in 2 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. "N/A"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - N/A in New York, NY
      Former Employee - N/A in New York, NY
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Incredibly bright people, who are also kind and interesting.

      Excellent compensation and benefit structure.

      Formed lasting friendships at this company.

      Cons

      Subject to performance downturns and ensuing labor cuts.

      Advice to Management

      Increase the upward mobility for staff at the company, don't let folks get so pigeonholed.

    2. Helpful (2)

      "Smartest people in the world"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Vice President in New York, NY
      Former Employee - Vice President in New York, NY
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm full-time (More than 8 years)

      Pros

      You get to work with the best thought leaders in the field, in a true meritocracy.

      Cons

      Imposter Syndrome is common. Most new hires are used to being the expert at what they do. It can require adjustment to get used to the impressive peer group in the firm.

      3. Join the D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. "Great"

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

      I have been working at D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm full-time

      Pros

      Smart people, interesting work, good culture

      Cons

      Not great at transparency, more people who are good at jobs but not good at managing

      Advice to Management

      Give more training to managers

    4. "Excellent place to work and grow"

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

      I worked at D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      * Great workplace
      * Good technologies
      * Extremely smart and high caliber people

      Cons

      * Work pressure is sometimes high

      Advice to Management

      Keep up the good work.

    5. "Emerging Market Analyst"

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

      Pros

      Encourage independent work and a strong drive for success. The managing directors are very hand's on and helpful in day to day tasks.

      Cons

      The environment can be pretty daunting. The stress level is very high but the rewards are even higher.

    6. "Deshaw"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee

      Pros

      Great perks and smart people

      Cons

      Air conditioning was too cold

    7. Helpful (1)

      "Great Place"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Executive Assistant
      Current Employee - Executive Assistant
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook

      I have been working at D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Everything you would want in terms of an organization. Great perks and great benefit. Constantly shifting to adjust to industry standards. Competitive salary.

      Cons

      Not much I can think of.

      Advice to Management

      Keep up the good work.

    8. "Excellent company & Culture"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Systems Administrator in New York, NY
      Former Employee - Systems Administrator in New York, NY
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook

      I worked at D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      - Competitive pay
      - Great and relaxed company culture
      - Highly intelligent employees
      - Great benefits

      Cons

      - Very flat Hierarchy, so not too much room for promotion.
      - Company lunches are very limited most of the time to a specific type of food.

    9. "A great team!"

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

      Pros

      Extremely talented people and great benefits.

      Cons

      Expectations are high but that's more of a challenge than a con.

    10. Helpful (12)

      "Rigorous work environment with brilliant peers"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      -High standards - A great environment for those early in their careers--you will learn how to hold yourself to higher standards, make thoughtful, data-driven decisions, and deliver highly analytical work. In turn, you work with people who are similarly hard-working.
      -Brilliant coworkers - D. E. Shaw has very high hiring standards, so you are surrounded by incredible people. Not only are the employees brilliant, but they are also often talented beyond the workplace--D. E. Shaw prizes those with "other agendas", be it music, art, theater, etc.
      -Lenient work hours - As a perpetual night owl, the flexibility here has been a godsend. Managers tend to be very understanding with PTO and working from home.
      -Amazing benefits - They care about taking care of their employees. Not only are there intellectual talks onsite, museum memberships, an onsite gym and fitness reimbursements, ergonomic assessments, loaded pantries, nap pods, incredible swag, etc. BUT the folks in HC are incredibly attentive and accommodating. They gave me passport renewal advice, helped me sort out an erroneous out-of-network charge, and took my suggestion for a speaking event.

      Cons

      - You can't phone things in; you are accountable for your work and will know when it's not up to snuff.
      - The salsa should be on the same floor as the tortilla chips.

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