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Scientific American

Is this your company?

DO NOT WORK HERE IF YOU WANT A CAREER - Anonymous employee Scientific American Employee Review

1.0
16 June 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There is not a single positive aspect I can think of about working at Scientific American.

Cons

This company is the worst company I have ever worked at. Any and all decisions are based upon whoever is the favorite flavor of the month - and it doesn't change often. Ability to own anything is void, and all deliverables fall under one person, who is lauded over without regard to the fact that everyone else does the heavy lifting. Not at all a place to work if you want a career - any career for that matter. Do not work here if you want to apply your knowledge and skills, have a strong work ethic, or believe that you will have the ability to have any say in what you work on or who you work with at all. All credit and all applause goes to one person and one person only. The politics in this company are so egregious that it's the norm. Anything outside of brown nosing doesn't work. You will never have the ability to stand out or voice your opinion because it won't matter in the end. Senior management is incompetent and has zero understanding of hiring good talent, getting rid of bad talent, and the ability to look ahead. You should work here if you don't care about the following: 1. Your salary - SA is cheaper than cheap 2. Your career - This company is a dead end. 3. Your appearance - T-shirts, hats, shorts, ripped jeans - it's like a college dorm except the fun. 4. Being on time - Work hours are stated but never followed - you'll find people strolling in at 11am having coffee or even breakfast and then go straight to lunch. 5. Your mental well being - Be prepared to work on mundane crap and send endless, useless emails. 6. Your physical well being - You'll probably wind up drinking after every work day to forget about your stupid boss and their useless role. 7. Science - Despite the name, 99% of the company doesn't come from a science background. The magazine is far from being scientific and dumbed down. This magazine and company will surely fold in the next few years. It's an old fogey mag with no relevant content to the present day. 8. Applying your education - Some of the people at this company have no college degree yet manage to get ahead and be promoted through sheer politics. 9. Not having an office - Company believes that by putting everyone in a cubicle or having open space - more work will get done. 10. A sense of self - prepare to be marginalized and under utilized in every way every day.

Explore other reviews about Scientific American

5.0
16 Apr 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazing work culture, people, and opportunities to learn science journalism

Cons

Pay is not great and you get no benefits as an intern

4.0
26 Dec 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Hybrid work schedule. Smart, mostly hardworking people. New editor-in-chief has a strategy.

Cons

Cannot stress enough how negative the business outlook is. And as a second class citizen of the parent company Springer Nature there is really nowhere for you to go if and when this subsidiary publication goes the way of the dodo and/or additional layoffs are needed to survive. It's a crowded space in a shrinking market (see Popular Science, New Scientist, Science News, American Scientist, for example) and the product is poorly differentiated with several politically related embarrassments to its name. It enjoys a modicum of the respect and attention it once did in the age before social media.

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