Is DNA worth working at anymore?

Quote

Anonymous

Guest
I spent some years at Amgen and that place was a cesspool of incompetence and apathy. Its nothing like it was years ago. Did Roche change DNA's culture profoundly? I interviewed years ago at DNA prior to the Roche takeover and it seemed like an academic environment.
 












DNA was tanking before Roche came in. When people like Ian and Kent came marked the beginning of the end. I am unsure if things could get worse due to Roche control.
 






Anonymous said:
I spent some years at Amgen and that place was a cesspool of incompetence and apathy. Its nothing like it was years ago. Did Roche change DNA's culture profoundly? I interviewed years ago at DNA prior to the Roche takeover and it seemed like an academic environment.
Click to expand...

Nope,Roche actually runs like a business, and not like a fake academic institution.
 






It is absolutely not worth working at DNA. The culture has changed 100%, the managers just "yes" everyone to death because they are just worried about keeping their jobs. We do crap just to do it, usually because someone in Marketing (an out of touch MBA most of the time) has created a "project" in order to justify their jobs. Half of the people here are just doing busy-work BS to justify their jobs and all of our "leaders" just smile and say how great the project is! I think the change started when all of the TRUE leaders, from Levinson on down started to leave in droves. Now we are just left with a bunch of micro-manager incompetents who are always patting each other on the back.
 






NO - STAY AWAY. This place is a black hole for a career. Forget about any thoughts of getting a promotion unless you want to and enjoy kissing ass. The old GNE is DOA - it's just a name used by Roche to market it's drugs in the US. I'm actively looking to get out - ASAP.
 






Anonymous said:
It is absolutely not worth working at DNA. The culture has changed 100%, the managers just "yes" everyone to death because they are just worried about keeping their jobs. We do crap just to do it, usually because someone in Marketing (an out of touch MBA most of the time) has created a "project" in order to justify their jobs. Half of the people here are just doing busy-work BS to justify their jobs and all of our "leaders" just smile and say how great the project is! I think the change started when all of the TRUE leaders, from Levinson on down started to leave in droves. Now we are just left with a bunch of micro-manager incompetents who are always patting each other on the back.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the passion of this response. I do think there are a lot of people working at Genentech who are looking around and asking WTF happened to the company I joined in 2000 (or whenever). DNA has changed, no question. And while I agree that leadership is always the key in any organization, I somewhat disagree that the reason for the change in DNA is that "true leaders left in droves".

Who has left that has had a major impact on the culture ?

Levinson is Chairman of the Board of Genentech and sits on Roche Board he didnt leave, but the CEO is in Basel now. Ebersman, not sure he really shaped the culture in a meaningful way at DNA. Scheler still here. Pat Yang, still here. Commercial leadership, Im not sure that any major players left since the acquistion quite honestly. . . . that leaves Sue Hellman, no question she was awesome in many respects, but her departure, imho, was more symbolic of the two critical shifts in DNA that changed the company - 1) Development no longer rules the roost; perhaps more importantly, 2) DNA moved from integrated vertical to US commercial affiliate

First, development had tremendous power and influence in DNA of old. This brought some very good things (decision making based on what was best for patients and following the science, acadmeic / university style environment, science-based selling and customer management, etc.). There were tradeoffs too: over-reliance on great data to sell products, lack of development, investment and execution of commercial business processes, tools and systems as a way to create scale, etc. But fundamentally, it created the culture of Genentec

When the acquistion happened, the most influential people in Development left the company. Among the reasons, most made a ton of dough and could afford to leave, but Id argue that many left because the merger marked the end of Genentech Development. Today there is no Genentech Development, its Roche development with a lot of (still) good DNA people.

2) A major structural shift happened when Genentech was acquired it moved from a US-only company of 10,000 employees vertically integrated across Research, Development, Commercial and Manufacturing to the US COMMERCIAL affiliate in an 80,000 person company. Research was essentially spun-off as gRed. Manufacturing absorbed by Roche and Development disappeared.

Did this change DNA? Absolutely. Working in Genentech is not like it was. Genentech was unique, whether you think good or bad, it was different. R&D ran the show and the scale was relatively small. The structure is completely different now. Roche still has great innovation, I really believe that. The R&D is still excellent (just as it was at Genentech). But working in commercial at Genentech is a lot different. Significant decisions and top down direction is coming less and less from EC decisions and more and more from Global, Basel influenced and based directives

I think the question that needs to be considered by the poster is not "Is it worth working at DNA anymore?" and rather "Do I want to work for Roche in the US?". The DNA that you are referring to in the initial question no longer exists . . . .
 






Anonymous said:
I appreciate the passion of this response. I do think there are a lot of people working at Genentech who are looking around and asking WTF happened to the company I joined in 2000 (or whenever). DNA has changed, no question. And while I agree that leadership is always the key in any organization, I somewhat disagree that the reason for the change in DNA is that "true leaders left in droves".

Who has left that has had a major impact on the culture ?

Levinson is Chairman of the Board of Genentech and sits on Roche Board he didnt leave, but the CEO is in Basel now. Ebersman, not sure he really shaped the culture in a meaningful way at DNA. Scheler still here. Pat Yang, still here. Commercial leadership, Im not sure that any major players left since the acquistion quite honestly. . . . that leaves Sue Hellman, no question she was awesome in many respects, but her departure, imho, was more symbolic of the two critical shifts in DNA that changed the company - 1) Development no longer rules the roost; perhaps more importantly, 2) DNA moved from integrated vertical to US commercial affiliate

First, development had tremendous power and influence in DNA of old. This brought some very good things (decision making based on what was best for patients and following the science, acadmeic / university style environment, science-based selling and customer management, etc.). There were tradeoffs too: over-reliance on great data to sell products, lack of development, investment and execution of commercial business processes, tools and systems as a way to create scale, etc. But fundamentally, it created the culture of Genentec

When the acquistion happened, the most influential people in Development left the company. Among the reasons, most made a ton of dough and could afford to leave, but Id argue that many left because the merger marked the end of Genentech Development. Today there is no Genentech Development, its Roche development with a lot of (still) good DNA people.

2) A major structural shift happened when Genentech was acquired it moved from a US-only company of 10,000 employees vertically integrated across Research, Development, Commercial and Manufacturing to the US COMMERCIAL affiliate in an 80,000 person company. Research was essentially spun-off as gRed. Manufacturing absorbed by Roche and Development disappeared.

Did this change DNA? Absolutely. Working in Genentech is not like it was. Genentech was unique, whether you think good or bad, it was different. R&D ran the show and the scale was relatively small. The structure is completely different now. Roche still has great innovation, I really believe that. The R&D is still excellent (just as it was at Genentech). But working in commercial at Genentech is a lot different. Significant decisions and top down direction is coming less and less from EC decisions and more and more from Global, Basel influenced and based directives

I think the question that needs to be considered by the poster is not "Is it worth working at DNA anymore?" and rather "Do I want to work for Roche in the US?". The DNA that you are referring to in the initial question no longer exists . . . .
Click to expand...


The truth hurts Atlanta seems the next destination
 












If you want a check and decent benefits it is okay. The Sr leadership sucks and is very self orinted. The downfall of the old Genentech started about 5 years prior to Riche coming in. Myrtle, Ian, Kent were the start of the fall.If you can kiss arse well enough and say yes convincingly, you will do well.
 






Anonymous said:
If you want a check and decent benefits it is okay. The Sr leadership sucks and is very self orinted. The downfall of the old Genentech started about 5 years prior to Riche coming in. Myrtle, Ian, Kent were the start of the fall.If you can kiss arse well enough and say yes convincingly, you will do well.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree, with Kent being the worst of the three.
 


















an earlier response : NO - STAY AWAY. This place is a black hole for a career. Forget about any thoughts of getting a promotion unless you want to and enjoy kissing ass.

IS TRUE - this is a hole for one's career - has been for me. Too long here now to look elsewhere. They only promote from outside - policy. It doesn't matter what your resume says in terms of previous leadership/management or technical expertise you have. Everyone knows that here, management just cannot admit it for obvious reasons.
 


















It's never been better. Not too many happy GNE employees lurk on Cafe Pharma, just the losers who blame everyone else for their lack of progress.

Heck last time I was here is when someone told me that there was some mud slinging going on two years ago and I got my bag of pop corn and read through the slinging like it was an episode of Real Housewives.

But honestly I am so sick of all these opportunities, training, support, massage chairs, employee resource center, free gym, subsidized food. Parking is impossible because stupid GNE has hired so many people, dummies. What are they thinking? And what's with these state of the art work spaces with ergo everything? Sit/stand desk? Are you kidding me I was promised a personal therapist to massage my back?

And that dumb concert they have ever year to celebrate their employees! Oooh ooh look at me, I get a day off to volunteer at a non-profit! Show offs!

And that stupid bonus multiplier! Don't they know a big bonus messes up my tax returns. So inconsiderate.

Stay away! This place is lame with their weekly ho-hos. It's nothing like it was in 2002. And those bums giving me a new iPhone! Don't they know I only like the classic flip phone shit

I rather work down the street at Onyx which is now a ghost town. Apparently you get an entire floor to yourself.

Stay away there is no opportunity here. You like working with dumb people? Of course you do. Who doesn't. So whatever you do don't work here because they only hire smart people.

And all this focus on good managers, great place to work ... pa-lease. They used to offer free internet at home for everyone, now they expect me to pay for my own home internet! Assholes!

And what's with all these pleasant buildings with open natural light coming in. And that on site ergo department, they should have outsourced that years ago. A-holes!

Oh and SSF is such a dump .... the city streets are kind of torn up and there is still a lingering smell of donuts.

Anonymous said:
I spent some years at Amgen and that place was a cesspool of incompetence and apathy. Its nothing like it was years ago. Did Roche change DNA's culture profoundly? I interviewed years ago at DNA prior to the Roche takeover and it seemed like an academic environment.
Click to expand...
 












anonymous said:
It's never been better. Not too many happy GNE employees lurk on Cafe Pharma, just the losers who blame everyone else for their lack of progress.

Heck last time I was here is when someone told me that there was some mud slinging going on two years ago and I got my bag of pop corn and read through the slinging like it was an episode of Real Housewives.

But honestly I am so sick of all these opportunities, training, support, massage chairs, employee resource center, free gym, subsidized food. Parking is impossible because stupid GNE has hired so many people, dummies. What are they thinking? And what's with these state of the art work spaces with ergo everything? Sit/stand desk? Are you kidding me I was promised a personal therapist to massage my back?

And that dumb concert they have ever year to celebrate their employees! Oooh ooh look at me, I get a day off to volunteer at a non-profit! Show offs!

And that stupid bonus multiplier! Don't they know a big bonus messes up my tax returns. So inconsiderate.

Stay away! This place is lame with their weekly ho-hos. It's nothing like it was in 2002. And those bums giving me a new iPhone! Don't they know I only like the classic flip phone shit

I rather work down the street at Onyx which is now a ghost town. Apparently you get an entire floor to yourself.

Stay away there is no opportunity here. You like working with dumb people? Of course you do. Who doesn't. So whatever you do don't work here because they only hire smart people.

And all this focus on good managers, great place to work ... pa-lease. They used to offer free internet at home for everyone, now they expect me to pay for my own home internet! Assholes!

And what's with all these pleasant buildings with open natural light coming in. And that on site ergo department, they should have outsourced that years ago. A-holes!

Oh and SSF is such a dump .... the city streets are kind of torn up and there is still a lingering smell of donuts.
Click to expand...

Wow - isn't it too early in the day to drop the lude, smoke a joint and take shots in the parking lot?
 






Top Bottom
Back
Quote