A dying unicorn ... all because of politics! - Anonymous employee Airbnb Employee Review

1.0
8 Jan 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Beautiful office space, talented co-workers, amazing meals and perks (such as travel coupons). Founders are sincere and seem to really care about the culture - demonstrated with initiatives that engage all global employees once a year.

Cons

Airbnb has become HIGHLY political, and this behavior is encouraged from the top executives for the past year. This has generated many problems: employees are fighting to survive, recognition is based on relationships (not work). This has created a pseudo “Lord of Flies” working environment. Top executives are disconnected from the users and the product. Transparency and sharing of knowledge is non-existent. You need to know the right people in order to know what’s happening. Some execs don't even come from tech companies, but from old-school Fortune 500 companies, and it shows.

Explore other reviews about Airbnb

5.0
19 Mar 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good culture, cool product, great CEO

Cons

Too much politics; things are moving pretty slowly

5.0
4 Jun 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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