Great compensation and environment, archaic technology
Pros
The compensation and benefits for experienced hires at Bloomberg are very good. As a new employee you get four weeks of vacation. Bonuses are solid since the company has always been profitable. People are smart and there is a push to get things done quickly. There are many financial courses available for you to take after work, free of charge, so you can learn about financial instruments. The environment is fun to work in because it's modern, lively and dynamic. The stunning, modern building could be part of a movie set. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer with your colleagues at group events and the pantry is always stocked with free food and drinks. Since the Bloomberg terminal is used throughout the financial community, you may have opportunities to connect with people at other financial companies. Bloomberg, as a company, is well regarded in the financial community.
Cons
The Bloomberg terminal is pretty awful to use and management has no desire to change it significantly since there are lots of old time Bloomberg users who don't want it changed. If you enjoyed using computers in the 1980s, you might like the terminal. There are no cubicles, only an open expanse of desks. Things get noisy, so it's hard to concentrate much of the time and anyone can see what's on your computer screen. The environment is such that you always feel like you're being watched and controlled. Your clock-in and clock-out times are prominently displayed on the Bloomberg terminal when someone searches for you. There is a culture of working long hours and while you get lots of vacation time, there are subtle ways where it's implied that you shouldn't be taking vacation. Teams don't necessarily have any incentive to work with each other. If you're put on a project and have to work with another team, sometimes the managers can get protective of their turf. It's more about competition than cooperation. I've heard Bloomberg described as groups of factions battling each other to get a job done. There's some truth to that description.