Our Engineering Tenets

From 'Lead with Data' to 'Innovate Incrementally,' learn about the nine tenets that guide Goldman Sachs Engineering.

These tenets are intended to be complementary to the Goldman Sachs Values & Principles and yet distinct to Engineering. The purpose of these tenets are to guide how the Engineering community should operate.

1. Build with Purpose

Engineers build great products starting from who will benefit from them and why it’s important for our clients. We drive commercial outcomes through technology, measuring and tuning our efforts to advance the long term strategy and constantly deliver client value.

2. Build on Our Work (achievements, triumphs)

We will drive commercial impact by developing scalable, innovative and impactful solutions for our Clients, while constantly uplifting, rationalizing and modernizing our technology stack in our Asset Management, Consumer and Wealth Management, Global Markets, Investment Banking, Research and Federation divisions.

3. Obsess Over the Experience

Engineers relentlessly focus on the quality of the user experience. We firmly believe that a great experience is the primary driver of adoption and loyalty by our clients. We see things from the end user's perspective, constantly reducing friction and removing unnecessary steps.

4. Look Around Corners

Engineers often have to deal with uncertainty and the unknown. We put measures in place to capture signals of failure before they become real issues, and design resilient systems that deal with failure by design.

5. Innovate Incrementally

Engineers deconstruct bold and ambitions goals into manageable deliverables. We believe there is no substitute for real-world testing; therefore, we release and innovate frequently. We embrace simplicity and practicality as key design tenets.

6. Inspire Trust

Engineers strive to let their deliverables speak on their behalf. We embrace failure as an essential element of growth and we are vocal about it. We believe that trust is created by being transparent, setting the right expectations, and consistently over delivering even if only by a little bit.

7. Lead with Data

Engineers constantly seek the truth, and base our opinions on measurable data. We vocally call out risks and always seek data to make decisions, dispel myths, and learn from mistakes.

8. Keep Learning

Engineers recognize that technology is always evolving at a rapid pace and that today’s state of the art can quickly become obsolete. We do not chase trends, but look at repeatable patterns and solidify our understanding of those patterns through curiosity, experimenting and constant learning.

9. Express Humanity

Engineers strive for technical excellence and achievement, while creating an environment that is connected, empathetic and grounded in deep appreciation of our colleagues. We treasure a culture of mutual respect in which everyone can feel comfortable and express themselves to their fullest.