Wiley (company)

Wiley (company)
Name	John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Type	Public
Industry	Publishing
Founded	1807
Founder	Charles Wiley
Headquarters	Hoboken, New Jersey, United States
Key people	Brian A. Napack (CEO and President), Peter M. Joslin (Chair)
Products	Books, journals, online education, certifications
Revenue	(example) US$2.2 billion (2023)
Num employees	~5,000

Wiley (company) is an American multinational publishing and educational technology company founded in 1807. It produces academic, professional, and instructional materials, operates scholarly journals and databases, and offers online learning platforms and certification programs. The company serves researchers, educators, students, and professionals worldwide through print and digital channels, partnering with academic institutions, societies, and corporations.

History

Wiley traces its origins to Charles Wiley, who established a bookselling and publishing business in New York City during the early 19th century, contemporaneous with figures like Noah Webster, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau. In the 19th century Wiley expanded into scientific and technical publishing alongside publishers such as Harper & Brothers and Macmillan Publishers, issuing works by authors connected to institutions like Columbia University and Princeton University. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries Wiley acquired rights and imprints in competition with houses such as Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, and developed professional lists that paralleled offerings from McGraw-Hill and Pearson plc. In the postwar era Wiley grew its journal business amid the rise of research organizations like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, and later navigated digital transformation alongside companies such as Elsevier and Springer Nature. In the 21st century Wiley pursued acquisitions and divestitures, interacting with firms including Blackwell Publishing (in the industry consolidation era), Ziff Davis, and education technology providers to expand online offerings and global reach.

Business divisions and products

Wiley's operations are organized into divisions that mirror competitors and partners like Cengage, SAGE Publications, and Wolters Kluwer. Its major business lines include academic publishing, professional and instructional books, scientific and technical journals, digital education platforms, and certification services competing with organizations such as CompTIA and Project Management Institute. Wiley produces trade and reference works in markets also served by Penguin Random House and Hachette Book Group, while supplying course materials and learning solutions used at universities such as Harvard University and University of Oxford. The company licenses content and platforms to corporations and government agencies including entities like United Nations agencies and health bodies, and collaborates with scholarly societies comparable to the American Chemical Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Publishing and journals

Wiley's scholarly publishing portfolio includes journals, monographs, and reference works in fields overlapping with titles from Nature Publishing Group, Cell Press, and PLOS. It publishes research across disciplines connected to organizations such as American Association for the Advancement of Science, Royal Society, and American Psychological Association. Wiley also partners with academic societies and universities to produce society journals analogous to those of the Royal Society of Chemistry and maintains databases and platforms similar to PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science in providing indexing and metadata services. Major journal areas include chemistry, medicine, social science, and engineering, intersecting with scholarship produced at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University of Cambridge.

Education and learning solutions

Wiley offers digital learning products and degree programs developed in collaboration with universities and corporate partners, analogous to programs by edX, Coursera, and 2U. Its platforms deliver courseware, online degrees, professional certification preparation, and adaptive learning content used by students at institutions such as University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan. Wiley's certification and professional development offerings compete with credential providers like Microsoft Certification and Cisco Systems, while its learning analytics and instructional design services are similar to those provided by Instructure and D2L Corporation.

Corporate governance and financials

Wiley is publicly traded and governed by a board of directors and executive leadership, operating under regulatory frameworks like those enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States. Its financial performance, mergers and acquisitions, and shareholder relations have involved interactions with investment banks and institutional investors such as Goldman Sachs and BlackRock. Historically Wiley has engaged in strategic transactions and divestitures similar to moves by Random House and Pearson plc, and its reporting and governance practices reference standards promulgated by bodies like the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

Controversies and legal issues

Wiley has faced disputes and scrutiny common in scholarly publishing, including debates over access and pricing comparable to controversies involving Elsevier and Springer Nature, legal actions related to copyright and licensing issues like cases seen with Google Books, and negotiations with libraries and consortia similar to those involving JSTOR. The company has also been involved in controversies around open access publishing models debated within communities including members of the Association of Research Libraries and SPARC. In some instances Wiley's practices have prompted regulatory and legal review resembling antitrust and contract disputes that have affected other major publishers and technology firms.

Category:Publishing companies of the United States Category:Companies established in 1807