Pros
* Remnants of multiple formerly great businesses, each of which had an enviable culture. * Some really good people, with fantastic institutional and industry knowledge. Sadly they are fewer and fewer over time. * Offices, especially in Boston, NY and London were modern and well-outfitted.
Cons
Sadly, the formerly great business have been gutted since combination. * Strategic mismanagement (value destroying mergers & acquisitions) * Poor financial forecasting and budgeting (leading to at least two rounds of layoffs per year) * Awful leadership and cronyism (several of the senior leadership are incompetent at best, destructive at worst) * Limited job security due to frequent layoffs and ongoing off-shoring of roles * Crazy levels of politics, leading to huge amounts of wasted energy.