got a Bloomberg SWE offer earlier this year and went through a negotiation cycle. want to share what worked and what didn't because I went in with wrong assumptions.
Starting offer: Base: $175k (L4 equivalent, NYC) Bonus target: 10-15% discretionary No equity for this role tier. Yes, really.
What I tried: Pushed on base first. Said I had a competing offer at $190k base (which was true). Bloomberg came up to $182k. Not dramatic but moved. Asked about sign-on to bridge a year-end bonus I was leaving behind. They offered $20k signing bonus, no negotiation needed, they just offered it when I mentioned the forfeited bonus. I think this is more standard than people realize. Tried to negotiate the bonus target percentage. That one went nowhere. Recruiter said discretionary bonus is set at a band level and they don't move it for individual offers. Believed her, the tone was definitive. Asked about accelerated review timeline (getting to L5 faster). Got a non-answer about performance cycles.
What didn't move: the equity situation. Bloomberg doesn't give RSUs at lower levels in engineering. There's supposedly profit-sharing but it's opaque. If you're coming from a place with meaningful equity this is a real adjustment.
Competing offer leverage: it mattered but only up to a point. My competing offer was from a fintech startup with a similar base but more equity. Bloomberg isn't going to match RSUs. If their cash comp is close they'll close you; if the equity gap is huge they'll often let you walk.
Bottom line: base is somewhat movable, sign-on is available if you have a reason, and almost nothing else flexes. Go in knowing what you actually want.