Utter Toxic Scam Of A Workplace. DO NOT BE FOOLED! - Intern Inkitt Employee Review

1.0
10 Feb 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Young company and cool workspace. Large windows to stare wistfully out of as you fantasise about being anywhere else. Nice plants to helpfully suck up the hostile vibes permeating the desks. Free (Sternberg- let's not get too excited) beer. Occasionally the fruit ordered in was of a semi-edible quality. In the loosest possible sense you will be working with "books". Mostly clean bathroom to weep in.

Cons

Where to begin with this place. Ali, as many other poor former employees have said, is an arrogant and egotistical boss who knows impressively little about books and the publishing world (Harry Potter is overly complex to him) and refuses to listen to anyone who does not stroke his ego and run about after him like a puppy on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The man is convinced he knows it all, and his lack of respect for employees and boundaries is remarkable. Case in point: he once incessantly called an employee whilst their parent was in hospital having an operation and couldn't see why this was an issue. Also, he bullied another employee to continue working overtime until they also ended up in the hospital. What a super guy. The turnover rate in Inkitt is very high, and for good reason. Let's roll off a list now:the hours are stupidly long, there is little reward in any capacity for your efforts, shares and bonuses in the company are false promises, the management team will blatantly gossip about other employees in an incredibly unprofessional manner and also gossip about and insult their own authors, the organisation is absolutely laughable, but you will still be routinely blamed for other people's mistakes (mostly Ali's), and by the end you will wonder when you signed this agreement to be in a cult. And yes, Ali definitely does pressure/bully employees to write good reviews of Inkitt on Glassdoor, whether they like it or not. Have seen this first hand. This company wrote the book on gaslighting in the workplace and will convince you that you're a hysterical lunatic who is not part of the real world lest you question their methods. I've seen employees crying in the toilets, outside, under their desks... all feeling dejected, under-appreciated, alone, and desperate because this is the only means of making some money they have. Many vulnerable people who moved to Berlin were promised a lot with Inkitt, only to be rapidly fired and basically blanked by the company. I truly feel sorry for the people who get sucked into this toxic vacuum; such talent finds its way to Inkitt only to be wasted by this chocolate teapot of a "publishing company". Incredibly, it seems most of them don't even give a toss about reading or book quality either. All it is is a cash cow designed to make Ali and his few henchmen at the top wealthier. And I'm not even going to get started on their shady as hell ways of making money and turning profit and scaling. Good god. I'm sure we could all write a book about the evils of Inkitt, and I can bet it would be a better seller than any of the fodder they fling up on the website. There should be a recovery group for people who've survived working for this place. Don't go there, people. Choose happiness. Choose life.

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Inkitt Response
6y
Hey, Thanks for taking the time to write down your thoughts. We are truly sorry about your negative experience. Self-development is one of our core values, and we therefore strongly welcome any constructive criticism and we want to reassure you that we are doing everything in our power to create a good working environment for our employees so that they stay with us. If there is anything you'd like to talk about we encourage you to get in touch with one of the members of our Inkitt team, Laura Valeske (laura@inkitt.com). We would really appreciate more insights. Best wishes!

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5.0
31 May 2026
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Pros

- Being able to lead projects independently from A to Z and be trusted for it - Engaging daily with a creative and passionate team - Being part of exciting new projects in a fast-paced, fast-evolving industry - Steep learning curve, you'll be pushed out of your comfort zone and grow fast

Cons

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5.0
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Pros

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Cons

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