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Penguin Random House

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Entry-level publishing work - Publishing Assistant Penguin Random House Employee Review

2.0
Apr 24, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free books! Lots of time off, great medical care, loan repayment program.

Cons

-No money!!!!!! -Antiquated business ideas, reluctant to hear fresh ideas or expand onto emerging platforms -Very few career opportunities, no one moves up/retires -Poor people management (expectation is that junior employees will schedule their own professional development conversations--one more burden they put on employees who already make nothing and receive no respect from upper management. Very difficult to initiate these conversations as upper management operates on a "you're lucky to even work here, shut up and do your work" attitude.)

Explore other reviews about Penguin Random House

5.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

super friendly work environment, very understanding, very fun

Cons

in consumer marketing department, a large number of people work remotely

5.0
Jun 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

• Caring people. Psychological safety is emphasized by people at every level. I feel like leadership at each step of the reporting chain is very approachable and transparent. • Great work/life balance. • There is a lot of openness to trying new technologies or doing different things for such a large and established organization. There is very little "trend chasing," it's more like you're listened to. As the CEO started out as a technologist, he has a realistic view of what new tools (including, but not just, AI) can do for us. • Informal, especially for a company created by the merger of two nearly-100 year old publishing firms and was recently acquired by a nearly-200 year old company. • Company supports learning and development. • Free books! • I care greatly about the company's mission and it's clear how my work impacts the company's ability to execute on it. • Things often move slowly, which is both a pro and a con.

Cons

• Pay and insurance are very average, but I can live with that. This is a much bigger con for employees whose jobs require them to be on-site, especially in e.g. London and New York. • Said learning and development seem to have a ...deliberate pace. While this is fine and what I wanted, other tech people coming in from more "tech-y" organizations mightn't gel with it. • Things often move slowly, which is both a pro and a con.

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