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Penguin Random House

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Warm and friendly, though bureaucratic - Anonymous employee Penguin Random House Employee Review

5.0
27 Jan 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The culture is friendly and collegial across many departments. There is a real sense of community. People are welcoming towards newcomers and generally willing to help each other out. It's a great place to start a career and pick up a well-rounded skill set.

Cons

Starting salaries are low, though competitive for the industry. Some departments can be slow to promote, even compared to other companies. As with many companies of its size, PRH can sometimes be annoyingly bureaucratic (this has become more true after the merger between Penguin and Random House).

Explore other reviews about Penguin Random House

5.0
20 Jun 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.

5.0
20 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great writing, Top tier production

Cons

The male director never asked me once how I was doing or offer any advice to calm my nerves (on my first production ever with them) which lead to a burdensome recording process.

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