Goldman Sachs

New York

Total Offices: 31

67,118 Total Employees

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What's It Like to Work at Goldman Sachs?

Updated on October 06, 2026

This page summarizes recurring themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Goldman Sachs and has not been reviewed or approved by Goldman Sachs.

What's it like to work at Goldman Sachs?

Strengths in rapid development, strong peers, and compelling compensation are accompanied by challenges in workload intensity and cultural consistency across teams. Together, these dynamics suggest a high-reward, high-pressure environment that can accelerate careers while requiring careful team selection and resilience to sustain wellbeing.

Key Insight for Candidates

Apprenticeship-style, high-intensity tradeoff: rapid skill growth, elite peer learning, and powerful résumé signal exchanged for sustained long hours and constant pressure. This defines day-to-day life and is hard to escape across teams. Candidates gain acceleration and prestige, but must accept constrained balance and burnout risk.

Evidence in Action

Apprenticeship-Style Learning Culture — Goldman Sachs’ apprenticeship-style culture and student and associate programs provide immersive, real responsibilities and mentorship. Employees ramp quickly, gain early exposure to senior work, and perceive strong career acceleration.
Sustained Long-Hour Cadence — Recurring employee feedback cites 50–60 hour weeks, long hours, and a high-pressure culture, with heavier schedules in some teams. Employees trade work-life balance for accelerated learning and compensation, normalizing off-hours availability and endurance over predictability.

Positive Themes About Goldman Sachs

Learning & Development: Fast skill-building, mentorship, and early responsibility are frequently highlighted, with structured programs providing immersive, hands-on exposure. The steep learning curve and apprenticeship model are portrayed as accelerating readiness for bigger roles.
Compensation: Pay is considered strong and benefits are viewed favorably, making total rewards a notable attraction. Competitive compensation is a key draw for many employees and candidates.
Team Support: Colleagues are described as highly capable, collaborative, and helpful, creating a strong peer environment. Working with ambitious, smart teammates is seen as a day-to-day advantage that enhances learning and execution.

Considerations About Goldman Sachs

Workload & Burnout: Long hours, heavy workloads, and an intense pace are described across many roles, with junior positions and certain teams especially affected. Work-life balance can be difficult to maintain over time.
Toxic Culture: Politics, favoritism, and cutthroat dynamics are reported in some groups and offices. These conditions contribute to stress and an uneven experience depending on where one sits.
Weak Management: Demanding or micromanaging leaders and uneven recognition appear in parts of the organization. Experiences vary significantly by manager and division, contributing to inconsistent support.

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These insights are generated using AI and may not reflect internal data or verified company information. They are intended solely for general informational purposes and should not be considered a definitive assessment of the company’s reputation. If you are a representative of this company, and would like this page to be removed, you may contact us via this form.