Callisto Media Reviews

I wouldn't wish this company on my worst enemies. Callisto will go through large hiring sweeps, expect you to work like a robot (pandemic be dammed), then realize their data strategy is faulty and then lay off people without warning. They openly operate pursuing the minimally viable product, as in the cheapest, fastest, minimal quality books possible to pass. Edits and designers are disposable cogs in the wheel, while micro-managed to death by nervous, insecure managers. Promotions are very rare. Also you have to drink the Kool-Aid to get by, say only yes, work relentlessly and it's probably best to not have a soul to work here. It doesn't matter how talented or experienced your peers are, or if their designs are dated and bad. This is a publishing machine with few standards other than analysis of the competition. Design is purely a service. Your experience does not matter and your insights and thoughts are not wanted. Keep your mouth shut in this hyper-corporate, toxic tech culture environment.

Read all of the negative reviews going back to the beginning and you will see the pattern here. This company is rooted in narcissistic leadership, abuse and toxicity and all forms of conscious and unconscious bias. A company's core never changes and it affects everything. The COO who is sometime called the CMO and CCO in these reviews encourages a culture of backstabbing and manipulation and behaves highly erratically. Editorial and design are being turned into an "assembly line" as blatantly stated by new leadership in design who seems to share the same values as the toxic c-suite. Promises have been made to the board of directors and investors that are impossible to meet but the worker bees will be verbally whipped into trying to achieve them, all while enduring constant fire drills, pointless restructures and unnecessary "pivots''. Promises that were made to employees by recruiters will not be honored. Callisto has been without an HR department for over two years so there is nowhere to go with any employee issues. The product (can barely be called books) is cheap and poorly put together and the goal is volume, volume and more volume. If you have a shred of self-respect and an ounce of creativity, this is not the place for you. If you ignore that warning, get ready for the worst experience of your career which may end up being a stain on your resume.