why did Barclays have to sell BGI?? - Anonymous employee BlackRock Employee Review

1.0
May 8, 2010
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

can be interesting work but too manic and not planned

Cons

Tech group is run by the abrasive BlackRock 'New York clique' - if youre not in that group then forget it. Good BGI people leaving frequently since the integration. BlackRock (as usual) focused too much on the technology and not the people, its a bit late now to make token gestures. The performance management process this year is a shambles (again not focusing on the people) - very little guidance and no cascading objectives. All in all a complete disaster for the San Francisco BGI people. Trading teams need a PMO to organize the many development teams

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5.0
Jul 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

very diverse and encourage learning and lateral move

Cons

start frequent layoffs after pandemic.

2.0
Jul 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Branding branding branding!!! an incredible brand, and having it on your resume opens some doors but not all.

Cons

The Preqin acquisition never really found its identity after becoming part of BlackRock. It felt like the focus shifted from listening to clients to fitting Preqin into a broader BlackRock strategy. As AI changes how firms access and analyze private market data, simply being a data provider isn’t enough anymore. My impression was that Preqin’s long-term value is likely to come from being integrated into the broader Aladdin ecosystem and APIs, rather than remaining a standalone platform. Leadership would benefit from spending more time listening to customers and the teams on the front lines instead of assuming they already know what the market wants.

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