Working for RiskMetrics was one of the best employment experiences of my career.
Pros
RiskMetrics had a culture that promoted and rewarded competence, and strong hiring practices that ensured you would be working alongside people who were good at what they did. Senior management promoted an egalitarian culture that is uncommon in the finance industry, and put real effort into making everyone feel valued. Risk-taking was encouraged, and failure was generally seen as a learning experience that wouldn't necessarily cost anyone their job or seriously damage their career. The best part for me was being surrounded by smart colleagues who were strongly committed, challenged me and helped me raise my game, no matter what the context. It wasn't always fun, but it was always worth the effort.
Cons
RiskMetrics was never a very large company in terms of headcount, job turnover was relatively low for the industry, and opportunities for advancement were consequently few. Management structures were reorganized frequently, but never to very great effect. Sometimes it seemed like they were just reshuffling chairs. There was a core group of people with a lot of equity who were effectively a protected class, and over the years a few of them were warehoused in ineffective roles just to keep them around. There was a lot of gossip and back-biting, which could sometimes amount to a meaningful distraction.