Great Mission, Positive Impacts, Lacking in Implementation - Anonymous employee Airbnb Employee Review

4.0
3 Nov 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Everyone - from the founders to execs to the most junior employees - works there because they believe in the positive impacts of the business. That mission drives all decisions to an extent I've never seen at any other company. Truly inspiring. Airbnb hires collaborative, driven, smart people. There are few internal politics and lots of team work. You feel the positive and energetic atmosphere when you walk in the door.

Cons

The company claims to care about fair and competitive employee compensation, but has repeatedly botched efforts to "level" and "adjust". It's clear they count on employees to stay because of the mission rather than the compensation. The company has grown really fast and hierarchy and process have been slow to follow. It's still a bit of a mess when it comes to decision-making and execution. This comes straight from the top - the founders and execs are the worst offenders. Work-life-balance is still a big work-in-progress.

Explore other reviews about Airbnb

5.0
8 Jun 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
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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