Bloomberg LP

Nice building, nice fish, free snacks, good benefits, socially conscious, stable job.

There are those that love it, and I can only speak from my own experience: what you find will vary greatly from team to team. What I found is absolutely no career path or advancement potential of any kind for technical people. You are a "programmer bee," and that's the extent of what the company wants and expects from you.

Much of the work is tedious and menial. There's a fanatical dedication to proprietary tools and methods (which, as an experienced senior hire, I really wasn't impressed by), no project management, and poor planning. It's a stifling, oppressive place that cripples all their best, most creative people.

R&D is a massive sweatshop that relies on a constant stream of incoming H1Bs and fresh college grads they can get to before they learn anything that might make them attractive to another company.

All in all, I'd say that if you're an experienced programmer with skills in legacy systems, or a recent college grad that can't find work, or you need the stability and benefits to support your family, then it might be worth it.

Reconnect with some of the people developing your product. There are some really talented people there, but your own policies and practices make it impossible to get real results.

Get that terminal out of the 80's before a real competitor emerges.

Focus less on programming and more on the development of your core product(s).

Involve them in the decision-making process. You'll be surprised that they know more than you think.