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Penguin Random House

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Still an Oxbridge Ivory Tower At Penguin Random House UK - Anonymous employee Penguin Random House Employee Review

1.0
Sep 1, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Being surrounded by books and some nice people

Cons

There is a lot of talk about diversity and inclusion, and yet they continue to recruit and promote privately educated, Oxbridge 'people like us'. It is incredibly cliquey. There is little cohesion between the Penguin and Random House sides of the business. Bad behaviour by bullying managers is allowed to carry on due to their close relationships with top brass. The place is riddled with personal ambition and internal politics and prejudices. Beware the upper class wolves in sheep's clothing. There is a lot of talk of values but different rules apply for some of the Publishing MDs and the CEO. They can treat people really brutally and there is a lot of gossip and nastiness from the top down.

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5.0
Jun 30, 2026
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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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