How low will it go? Thinking back to when it was over 4.0
16 replies (most recent on top)
@rj I'm taking it that you aren't interested in playing so you can prove your incredible intellect, deep insights and conviction which you seem to share on a whim here, yet back away once challenged to put up. Interesting and very telling, whose really the one deflecting?
"Do you honestly think private equity wants to pursue an IPO ... "
You've gotta be able to see beyond the tip of your nose, I'm afraid. This is all about extracting as much cash as possible from this hollowed out company, PE is not playing the long game here ;)
@qn everyone knows cengage is going for an IPO this year- it’s been documented and written about in business and finance articles online. It’s not a secret. What rock are you living under.
@qv Let's play. Instead of "in a few weeks", why don't you pick a date of when this will happen as the brilliant insider and future forecaster you are and then we can see who is telling falsehoods or not. Hope you will post a full retraction and acknowledge your gap in any knowledge on that date. Ready to put up or shut up?
@pp Did i strike a nerve? Are you MGT for Apollo or Cengage? You are deflecting again,,, but in a few weeks, when the Public S1 is filed , what deflection will you post? Stock Prices? Truth? Former Employees? Who ever you report to , let them know that everyone is fully aware of the IPO and your posts are not working to deflect reality. Full Stop!!
@pp Says you. This is yet another confident hypothesis offered from a position of ignorance.
Have you even looked at where McGraw Hill’s stock is trading? It is around $9 per share, down from $17 at the IPO. Do you honestly think private equity wants to pursue an IPO in a market where the most recent EdTech offering has lost nearly 50% of its value in a year and is trading well below its IPO price?
Why do you continue speaking with such authority about subjects you clearly do not understand?
Truth? Former Employee? The truth is everything that has happened over the past 12 months is all about the IPO and Apollo recouping some of their original investment. I do agree that some of the comments on this thread are obvious attempts to deflect and move the conversation away from the IPO. At this point in time, all that matters is the IPO, check all of your emails, HR quiet, Executive Team quiet - emails minimal, this is all part of the S1 process. No surprises!
"we will never know who is telling the truth, but the people who actually work at the company do"
Er - so which is it?
You swear you're still at Cengage and then reject and deny the actual truths that are actually happening - and reported by people who actually work there.
So - are you deluded or simply terrified?
Which is it?
@n2 Or maybe we have bitter former employees who still cannot move on, inventing stories just to see how much noise they can create. Since this site is anonymous, we will never know who is telling the truth, but the people who actually work at the company do.
What is truly pathetic is watching people who supposedly hated working here continue to obsess over the company long after leaving. You would think being “free” would give them something better to do than anonymously spreading negativity about a place they claim to despise.
Their inability to move forward tells you far more about them than anything they post here. Frankly, it also explains why they are former employees.
"Agreed, horrible human"
The cadence of posts here has become quite predictable,rather telling and a little bit sad. Here we have presumed formers sharing information, insight and facts. These posts are met with presumed currents responding with insults, name-calling, "misinformation" cries and frequent calls to the almighty.
Kinda tell one all they need know about the current state-of-affairs at Cengage.
@m0 Do you think it's unlikely that there will be any more layoffs during the Confidential S‑1 → Public S‑1 timeframe? And how about shortly after the IPO (assuming it happens)?
They don't care anymore about the Glassdoor rating because MH doesn't care. MH has sent Presidents, GM, SVP, VP's and even the Chief People Officer packing and out the door. All of this was under his watch. At this point Apollo can't fire MH because the confidential S1 has been filed, and in the next 10 to 12 weeks the official S1 will be filed.
Timeline From Confidential S‑1 → Public S‑1
- Confidential S‑1 Submitted (Day 0)
- SEC Review Round 1 (Weeks 1–4)
- Company Responds + Amends Filing (Weeks 4–6)
- SEC Review Round 2 (Weeks 6–8)
- Final SEC Comments + Clearance (Weeks 8–10)
- Board Approval (Week 10–11)
- Public S‑1 Filed (Week 11–12)
Total Time: 8–12 Weeks
That is the standard window from confidential S‑1 → public S‑1. And Cengage is at stage #2 or #3 at this point.
Hopefully this broadens your perspective and you can Stop thinking about trivial things like GLASS DOOR ratings. This is business, this is about the $$$, and you either do or did work in educational publishing,,,, so please educate yourself on the things that matter.
MH will be GONE sometime in early 2027, at which time all the HATERS can rejoice and feel some redemption. Only issue is MH Networth will be around 300 million, and yours will be 300K. In the end MH will have won.
@k7 may Jesus bless you my child, for the ignorance in you is strong and the intelligence is very low. I hope that you are having an jubilant experience at your new employer and may you bring the detrimental value to them that your surely brought to this company.
The Glassdoor ratings used to be much higher because the company systematically kept that rating artificially high. When a few negative reviews came in, Cengage responded by having employees from HR and elsewhere post five star reviews containing very little content. Such reviews would often post "Nothing I can think of" or "tough industry" under Cons, for instance. This happened with regularity for years. Sort reviews by date on Glassdoor and start scrolling, the cadence is crystal clear. This corrective activity seems to have stopped, though why the company stopped giving a d*mn is anyone's guess.
Should be lower based on my experience there. Any company with below a three is a red flag in my book.
And for the people thanking Cengage on LinkedIn, stop it, and why? Outside of some good people, the company failed its employees and does not deserve thanks.
They completed tjeir part of the transaction and moved on. No need to thank them.
From Glassdoor (best review yet!)
1.0
Jun 15, 2026
Pros
Still fully remote, no more offices. Great people who are dedicated to the work.
Cons
Nearly everything else. This company has carried out mass layoffs relentlessly, month after month and year after year, including loyal 10-30 year employees that they replace for half the price if at all. Loyalty here means nothing; the company has made it clear they don’t care about you. They won’t invest in your growth (though they’ll put on a show that they do). They won’t fix deep, systemic issues with morale (though they’ll act like they’re addressing them). Advancement here has nothing to do with talent or results. It’s all about obedience theater, parroting leaderships corporate nonsense, and showing public loyalty at the all costs (including your dignity.) 90% of your time at this company will be spent on managing or participating in office politics, the other 10% is maybe doing your job if you’re lucky. In reality, it seems like they’re deliberately pushing people out, likely to avoid paying severance and to refill or outsource positions at a fraction of the cost.
Employee moral is at an all time low, though leadership likes to pretend otherwise and look the other way. They will pays lip service to autonomy and empowerment, but in practice micromanages every minor detail while also belittling their people. They pretend to be inventive, announcing half-baked initiatives handed down with no real thought behind them, while expecting employees to treat these directives as gospel though there is zero thought put into actual execution.
The result is that everything is half-assed, rushed, and outsourced at twice the expense for half the quality, all on the backs of the remaining full-time employees. You won’t be valued as a professional; you’ll simply be a life raft for leadership and the private equity firm in their pursuit of an IPO.
Advice to Management
Nothing I can say here that hasn’t already been said and ignored for years.