Very Talented Workforce, Poor Managers/Leads/Management - Anonymous employee Airbnb Employee Review

3.0
Apr 22, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You will genuinely work and enjoy working with some of the most talented people in the city People are caring, macro-level empathetic, hard working, are able to solve tough problems in an intelligent way (everyone learns), and people teach each other Benefits are good if you're a tech outsider, and comparable to big tech companies in the city The work can be rewarding, as your work will impact many people

Cons

Leads/Managers/Management are inexperienced and not empowered to create change. Compared to the talent of the talent pool, I would say those in who manage, are the exact polar opposite. In a few years, I think they will be the reason for the brain drain E-staff tends to make volatile, non-scientific, impulsive decisions that flow top down. Airbnb is a very top down company that likes to say it's grassroots. Career advancement is pretty much a null - lateral movement is easily possible, but even if you have met the target, they will find a way to move the target again to not pay you more. You will be paid significantly less at Airbnb for how much you work. You can chose to work less (which is what people do, there are lots of coasters) The compensation structure turns high performing, hard working employees into simply competent or mediocre ones as you have to be political and visible to be compensated, not highly competent. Very little diversity in leadership - almost all male (and white)

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5.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Airbnb's mission of creating a world where anyone can belong anywhere strongly resonates with me. I'm excited by the opportunity to build products that operate at global scale and directly impact millions of users. My background in full-stack engineering, distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and AI-powered applications aligns well with Airbnb's focus on innovation, reliability, and exceptional user experiences. I am particularly attracted to Airbnb's engineering culture, emphasis on ownership, and commitment to solving complex technical challenges while delivering meaningful value to hosts, guests, and communities worldwide.

Cons

One challenge of working at Airbnb is the complexity that comes with operating a global platform at scale. Engineering teams must balance reliability, performance, compliance, and user experience across many markets and stakeholders. While this can make development and decision-making more complex, it is also one of the aspects that makes the work technically interesting and professionally rewarding.

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