Genentech Named #1 on FORTUNE's '100 Best Companies to Work For'

Biotechnology Pioneer Named to List for Eighth Consecutive Year

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA) announced today that it has been named by
FORTUNE as number one on the magazine's annual list of the "100 Best
Companies to Work For." This is the first number one ranking for the
company, which has been named to the list for eight consecutive years.
The complete list of companies will appear in the January 23 issue of
the magazine, available on newsstands on January 16 and on
http://www.fortune.com today.

"It is humbling to be recognized as FORTUNE's Best Company to Work
For," said Arthur D. Levinson, Ph.D., Genentech chairman and chief
executive officer. "We are a science-based company, and that is our
core. But the real job satisfaction for employees is when great
science becomes something that helps patients. Every employee in the
company is a part of our continual quest to translate great scientific
research from our labs into breakthrough therapies for patients with
serious diseases like cancer and blindness."

"I am proud of the dedication of Genentech's employees to patients and
of the recognition that the company has received for being the best
place to work in the country," said Genentech co-founder and Board
Director Herb Boyer, Ph.D. "This acknowledgment is a tribute to the
excellent performance of the company and the leadership at Genentech.
Since Genentech's founding, the focus on patients has provided
motivation and satisfaction for employees throughout the company."

"The 100 Best Companies to Work For" list is compiled for FORTUNE
based on two criteria: an evaluation of the policies and culture of
each company, and the opinions of the company's employees. The latter
is given more weight; two- thirds of the total score comes from
employee responses to a 57-question survey, which goes to a minimum of
400 randomly selected employees from each company. It asks about
things such as attitudes towards management, job satisfaction, and
camaraderie within the organization. The remaining one-third of the
score is based on an evaluation of each company's demographic makeup,
pay and benefits programs, and culture. Companies are scored in four
areas: credibility (communication to employees), respect
(opportunities and benefits), fairness (compensation, diversity), and
pride/camaraderie (philanthropy, celebrations). Companies that are at
least seven years old and have at least 1,000 employees are eligible
for the list.

Genentech, the world's first biotechnology company, will mark its
30-year anniversary this year. Throughout its first three decades, the
company has been dedicated to cultivating an environment where
employees enjoy coming to work every day. Genentech uses a minimum of
guidelines and procedures and gives its employees a great deal of
freedom to apply their skills, knowledge, and initiative toward the
goal of providing breakthrough therapies to patients with unmet
medical needs.

Genentech demands the best from its employees and rewards them
accordingly with one of the most comprehensive benefits programs in
the industry. The benefits package includes an employee stock purchase
plan, eligibility for stock options and bonuses, and a six-week paid
sabbatical program. Corporate childcare, a company-sponsored fitness
facility, an on-site company store, and a concierge service are among
the wide variety of benefits, services, and programs that are designed
to make it easier and more convenient for employees to manage the
sometimes difficult task of juggling work and everyday life.

About Genentech

Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops,
manufactures and commercializes biotherapeutics for significant unmet
medical needs. A considerable number of the currently approved
biotechnology products originated from, or are based on, Genentech
science. Genentech manufactures and commercializes multiple
biotechnology products directly in the United States and licenses
several additional products to other companies. The company has
headquarters in South San Francisco, Calif., and is traded on the New
York Stock Exchange under the symbol DNA. For additional information
about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.

Media Contact: Debra Charlesworth (650) 225-2742

Caroline Pecquet (650) 467-7078

Investor Contact: Kathee Littrell (650) 225-1034

Susan Morris (650) 225-6523

http://www.gene.com SOURCE Genentech, Inc.