Decent company, poorly run engineering org - Software Engineer Airbnb Employee Review

2.0
Mar 11, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Visually appealing office - Good salary and benefits - Free food - Company has a good external reputation, solid growth potential

Cons

- More of a hospitality company than a tech company. Engineering isn't a core part of the culture, and it shows in the quality and visibility of the team's work. - Systems receive low traffic levels (compared to those in search, ads, social networking, etc.), so little need to improve efficiency or innovate in the backend space - Weak engineering leadership that won't make hard technical decisions, push through cross-team initiatives like SOA - Senior IC promotions and external hires based more on visibility than technical skill and impact - Steady stream of departures by strong engineers and managers - Culture of niceness and praise to the extreme. Hard to provide constructive feedback, push back against bad projects. - Cramped, noisy desk areas with low-quality monitors and office furniture - Below average meals and snacks

Explore other reviews about Airbnb

5.0
Mar 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Travel to cool places, meet nice people

Cons

They treat contract workers like garbage. You don't bow to the king, they will find a way to rid of you and push you out or just terminate your contract without warning.

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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