Whatta Ride - Anonymous employee Airbnb Employee Review

2.0
May 11, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- The food team and the IT support team are some of the best and hardest working humans I've met. -I've worked with some really kind people here. -The cofounders mean well; they're driven and passionate (more on that below) -The perks are great (meals, amenities, environment, great insurance)

Cons

-Absolutely no upward mobility. -I genuinely like the cofounders, but they're much more focused on the 'brand' and how it looks to other people and having an inflated sense of what their impact is vs. what it feels like to work there and how they can lead and inspire their employees to do the work we need to do together. -Inexperienced managers who do their best, but don't know how to lead. -Internal tools needed for the job are an absolute mess and have been since my first day on the job. Eng support is more likely to go to passion projects instead of core product and the tools needed to maintain it. -Constant changes to the point where it becomes hard to do your job well. (This is well beyond the 'but we're a start-up, we gotta be scrappy, change is part of the ride, you have to roll with it' mentality) -People not being able to be honest with the cofounders about when they're off track. - Hiring an absurd amount of contractors and then continue to renew their contracts for 1+ years instead of hiring them full time.

Explore other reviews about Airbnb

5.0
Jun 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Laid back, strong mentorship/training, and good team chemistry.

Cons

Online only, they had summer branch offices, but nobody went in.

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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