Great business in spite of itself - Marketing Airbnb Employee Review

2.0
23 Feb 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Tons of energy, very smart and friendly people, incredible food program. The founders are good guys, well-meaning, even if their lack of experience comes through (which it does frequently). For a Silicon Valley company, Airbnb is about as diverse as you'll find, which is a huge plus. Very mission driven, but often in a naively optimistic way.

Cons

No understanding of work-life balance - just zilch. This causes burnout and selects for the young, energetic, and naive. The company really needs wisdom and experience in leadership, particularly right now during this period of fast growth, but it's currently loaded with yes-men that won't say no to the founders. In fact no one says no to the founders, even when their ideas are laughable. Employees are highly expendable - like family one minute, being shown the door the next.

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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