Good pay with some chaos - Senior Product Manager Genentech Employee Review

2.0
Jul 27, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Comp is good. People are intelligent, educated, personable. Big $ pipeline, low oversight, easy to sit-tight and play the game of that's what motivates.

Cons

Outside of the high- dollar pharma development and sales pipelines, it's all just supporting cast. Lots of cowboys who don't play well with others in the tech and data science areas; aka, they hire for degrees and bling, not real world capabilities. Innovation is limited to responding to ad-hoc requests. Saying "Lots of your coworkers have been here for years and don't want to change" isn't a justification to objectify really bright people as nominal helpdesk staff responding to arbitrary "I've got an super-cool idea" people from pharmaceutical sales teams who are overpaid and woefully under-knowledgable about product lifecycles.

Explore other reviews about Genentech

5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great culture and work environment.

Cons

PhD is necessary oftentimes for advancement.

3.0
May 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Genentech's origin story and mission are genuinely inspiring — few companies can point to such a meaningful historical arc in medicine. Patient engagement is taken seriously and feels authentic, not performative. The campus is beautiful and the culture has real warmth.

Cons

DDA is operating with significant gaps. First, the foundational data infrastructure is not mature enough to support the ambitions being set for the team. Second, the measurement culture has gotten ahead of the methodology, and no one in a position of authority seems to be asking hard questions about whether the numbers actually mean what they're being presented as meaning. Third, some management feel disconnected from the work itself, lacking the knowledge, hands-on experience, or relevant credentials. Individually any one of these would be manageable. Together these create an environment where it's hard to do rigorous work, rather work is performative, and be recognized for it.

3
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