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Well run and consistently successful

Software Engineer
Current Employee
Has worked at Jump Trading for 6 years
March 4, 2020
Chicago, Illinois
5.0
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEO
Pros
  • Compensation and benefits are great.
  • Feels more like a tech company than finance. Always interesting things going on, trying crazy new ideas and seeing what works out. Makes diverse bets in many different directions.
  • The Chicago office has improved dramatically after the 6th-floor expansion and the addition of a cafe/barista.
  • It's casual, not too formal or stifling. #thedailydog. Friday song. Shrec (CEO) is charismatic and knows everybody by name.
  • Things always seem to be getting better, not worse.
Cons

Jump isn't as agile as they think they are. There is tons of tech debt. A general fear of changes taking out production trading means that getting stuff fixed or improved is often slower than it should be. Coredev is somewhat dysfunctional.

It's not exactly a meritocracy. Front office trading teams take the lion's share of profits, though back office is working its butt off to make sure everything can run smoothly.

There's not much of a bigger picture. There appears to be no greater purpose to the work than profiting off the markets. Jump entices hundreds of incredibly smart people, who might otherwise be solving important issues in the real world, to just polish the P&L. For scientists and engineers, it's kind of an empty goal.

Advice to Management

Have you considered philanthropy? It might give employees some job satisfaction, knowing their work is making the world a better place, while they can still remain focused on the bottom line.

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