An engaging work environment - Anonymous employee Genentech Employee Review

4.0
Mar 11, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Company and employees are generally engaged and committed to patient health - Very intelligent, collaborative, and friendly employees and work environment - Company focus on novel therapeutics and unmet medical needs - Company focus on employee career development - Competitive pay and benefits

Cons

- Work/life balance can be very bad depending on group/project, with no guidelines for mitigation - Bureaucracy and red tape. Getting anything done seems to take a lot of time, people, and forms. - Pharma regulations, which only get more strict over time, drive many aspects of the day-to-day work done, and this can be suffocating - Conservative and strict management from Roche since the merger has diluted the once-fun Genentech culture

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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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