Pros
On the surface, the company seems friendly and collaborative. Long standing institutional client relationships and differentiated investment products. The rank and file employees are very good to work with. The founders are brilliant but are no longer involved in running the company.
Cons
Poor management and declining business. The senior managers pretend to be friendly, but have hidden agendas and manipulate and layoff others to cover up their own mistakes. Many cases of well regarded employees just disappearing one day, and no one speaks of them anymore. Small company run like a big bureaucracy and very hierarchical. The environment is sleazy and distrustful, where many decisions ranging from staff hiring to technology choices are not what they seem and have political motivations. Insular culture with sycophancy being rewarded, and the old technology and siloed environment make simple things difficult. The firm saw its best days a long time ago and the pay is quite low despite lots of fancy titles, especially after the merger.