Bridgewater Problems Should Be No Surprise

I don’t think anyone in the financial industry is that surprised by the accusations of sexual harassment the Bridgewater hedge fund.  Yes, Bridgewater is full of really smart people who are incredibly driven and attracted to the meritocracy embodied in the culture. But it always smacked of being a little bit like a cult, with the constant monitoring and evaluations by your peers. It was not necessarily sinister but it is easy to see how easily it could take a turn in that direction and that employees could become intimidated and afraid. I guess what’s more surprising to me is that something like this hasn’t happened before this at Bridgewater.