Politics, Micromanagement and no focus on quality tech - Software Engineer Vrbo Employee Review

2.0
May 24, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Snacks, drinks, PTO, Friendly employees, flexible schedule if you have the right manager

Cons

It's a miracle anything on the site/app works. Teams are very divided and breaking changes are CONSTANTLY getting through. There's no QA, no release schedule, and lower environments (i.e staging, test, development) are useless. "Test in production" is the motto. Quality is sacrificed so that non technical managers can report that features are being released and there is micromanagement all the way up to the top. The politicking and gossip that goes around management is equivalent to a middle school. Priorities shift daily and the claims of a "data driven approach" couldn't be farther from the truth . If you're a competent engineer go somewhere else with a better tech culture and competitive pay. People are leaving in droves

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5.0
Jul 24, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits are amazing and great work life balance

Cons

Tech and product could be a bit better

5.0
Nov 25, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

HomeAway technology stack has come a long way. One of the most appealing things about working here is the fact that you get to work with cutting edge technology. In addition, the engineering team are super smart, so working here is a great networking opportunity too.

Cons

Company is getting pretty big, and if you end up on the wrong team, you may find it that it is difficult for you to be impactful.

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Vrbo Response
8y
Thank you for taking the time to leave a thoughtful review. We love a good tech stack as much as the next tech company and it’s great to hear you enjoy working on ours. Our Data Science and Engineering teams are so important to the success of HomeAway. You’re right though, we are growing rapidly. If someone finds themselves on a team that doesn’t quite feel right, we highly encourage internal movement and having a conversation with your manager.
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