Pros: Mostly great colleges. Good managers who care about their employees. Transparency (anyone can find out what other employees are working on). Opportunity to get training on the job. Employees are encouraged to move around, and there are programs specifically set up for employees to find the right team. Management is becoming more concerned about the needs of developers (everyone getting new computers and much bigger monitors). Some good technical work is done depending on the team.

Cons: A lot of what you experience can vary drastically depending on your team. Unfortunately, some teams may have to maintain applications written using outdated technology, but I think that is slowly changing for the better. Some internal politics to deal with, but I think this is inevitable in a company of this size.

Pros: The company seems to take reasonably good care of you, with a good compensation package and benefits, and a bright, lively working environment. There is a lot of expertise around to learn from if your objective is to develop an understanding of financial markets. The work is fast-paced, and you will seldom find yourself bogged down in your job. The ability to handle pressure and look at problems from a business perspective is valued. Good kitchens.

Cons: The codebase is old and can be frustrating at times. Core technical people who want to develop their technical skill set will be put off by the demand to get the solution out to customers, often sacrificing quality. If you're in a team that works on legacy products rather than new ones, the skills you pick up will be in proprietary tech that is not transferable. The flat hierarchy (3 levels from a new, fresh-from-college hire to the head of R&D) may not leave room for advancement that you can show on your resume.

Pros: Great firm. Great benefits. Very relaxed/chill work. Flat structure.

Cons: Your work highly depends on your department. You could have an extremely dynamic and exciting job or team, or not so much. No equity like other firms. Very flat structure. So much so that a promotion could be 5-10 years away (depends on department).