What Bridgewater does: Bridgewater uses an exceptional investment strategy to manage assets across different securities for an array of clients.
Mission: Bridgewater aims to grow exceptional portfolios and profitable relationships with their clients through their extensive understanding of worldwide financing.
Size and Presence: Bridgewater currently employs around 1,500 employees with its principal offices located in Westport, CT.
Best Known For: Bridgewater is popular for its unwavering investment strategy decorated with an impressive portfolio of institutional clients.
The good bits: Along with an impressive investment strategy, Bridgewater promotes an exceptional sense of community where everyone feels heard and works together.
The not-so-good bits: As a truly large company, employees at Bridgewater may have to develop a thick skin for criticism and be willing to make changes in their stride.
In 1975, Bridgewater was founded by Ray Dalio but solely focused on guiding institutional clients, managing currency, and navigating fluctuating interest rates. In 1983, Dailo advised McDonald’s to close a deal that’ll lead to massive success in their introduction of Chicken Nuggets.
A $5 million fixed investment was made to the company through Hilda Ochoa-Brillembourg in 1987. With the coming of the 90s, Bridgewater continued to develop more investment strategies. Chief among these strategies was the “alpha overlay” which differentiated alpha and beta investments.
The company also channeled its alpha investment strategy and enjoyed its wide science. A $5 billion investment growth was measured by the company from 1995-2003.
Following its daily observation and investment methods, Bridgewater increased its asset management to around $50 billion in 2007. Bridgewater’s strategy was also successful in the stock market collapse in 2008 but faltered a little in 2009.
In 2018, Bridgewater adopted a partnership and became a partnership. This came as a result of investments from the International Monetary Fund and Singapore’s Sovereign Wealth Fund.
Bridgewater mirrors its exceptional success through its employee culture. They aim to maintain clear and honest communication across the board and rely on this to build trust and successful collaboration among workers and help increase work standards and ensure improvements.
They follow diversity among their workforce but ensure synergy in purpose and conviction across the workforce.
The vibe at Bridgewater is competitive but in friendly way and allows everyone to grow together while receiving motivation to always be better.
Being a part of the Bridgewater family through its recruitment process mirrors its institutionalized culture. Bridgewater looks to hire graduates and interns with exceptional business education across diverse cultures.
The first step in Bridgewater's recruitment process requires graduates and interns to complete an online application.
After completing the online application, candidates are required to take four surveys. These surveys are made to understand how applicants think and how they feel about teamwork.
Next to the four surveys, graduate and internship applicants are faced with a final telephone survey to fit applicants into certain organizational strata.
Graduate and internship candidates who make it through the surveys and resume submissions are invited for job interviews. The interview sessions are divided into a life/culture segment and discussion groups.
All aspects of the recruitment process are determined to understand how applicants think and how well they fit into the company's culture.
Bridgewater aims to maintain a growth-oriented environment by interconnecting everyone together through sustainable bonds between workers.
Everyone at Bridgewater is easily accessible and is open to delivering exceptional advice at every step of the professional journey. Thanks to the exceptional culture Bridgewater provides, graduates and interns retain their willingness to grow throughout their careers.
More than 4,000 workers retain their connection with the company and more than 80 have founded their ventures across different industries.
At Bridgewater, employees earn an average of around $154,290 annually while interns earn around $59,603 per year.
From its exceptional headquarters hidden in the woods, Bridgewater embodies sustainability and makes sustainability a priority for all its clients.
They claim to study social and environmental issues and have invested considerable financial and intellectual efforts to handle these issues.
Bridgewater incorporates these solutions in their investment practices and influences its investors to do the same.
Despite the widespread success the Bridgewater philosophy and principles have provided, it’s been a source of controversy as well. Criticism has come against the Bridgewater work culture with some branding it as fearful and intimidating.
In a sexual assault case against the Co-Chief Investment Officer at the company, it was claimed that Bridgewater chose the handle the case unconventionally.
The case ended with the officer keeping his job and the employee barred from speaking about the event after being compensated due to a signed NDA.