Explosive growth with an excellent culture and mission! - Anonymous employee Airbnb Employee Review

5.0
6 Aug 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Summary: I'm really happy here and it's the best job I've ever had. That said, details: 1. People: The people here are really smart, really nice, and really accommodating of healthy work/life balance which is CRAZY important for longevity and long-term happiness. The people are a pleasure to work with, they're helpful, knowledgeable, and REALLY passionate about the company. I have an amazing Manager who advocates for me and it's been such a great experience. 2. Projects: The projects here are those you can't find elsewhere simply because Airbnb is a one-of-a-kind company. A lot of the operational problems we're building and fixing haven't been navigated before. You have a chance to create new processes, projects, and impact in this industry. 3. Culture: This place is serious about its culture or "Core Values": do the right thing, advance the mission, don't backstab, don't throw people under the bus, and stand up for the underdog. To give you an idea of the kind of people we want: one of our people raised $20 million for immigrant kids separated from their parents on Facebook-- the largest fundraiser in Facebook's history. 4. Benefits + Compensation: They'll comp you properly, trust me. Airbnb gives a generous total compensation package with lots of stock, fully covered health care/dental/vision for you, $500 in Airbnb credits per quarter, free food (breakfast/lunch/dinner), and all the cool Silicon Valley perks. 5. Flexibility: Work from home, work remotely, take PTO-- just make sure your projects get done. A+++ on this.

Cons

1. Disorganization: Hyper growth mode has created some disorganization and issues with accountability. It can be difficult to get things done with random PTOs and a softer culture when it comes to communication. 2. Career advancement: Upward mobility/ career advancement expectations can be slow or unclear because of the disorganization. You have to advocate for yourself and develop a great relationship with your manager. 3. Liquidity: Airbnb isn't a public company so those looking to sell their stocks need to wait for a liquidity event or for the company to IPO. As much as stocks are great, they can't pay the bills so giving employees more opportunity to cash out is important for those of us who aren't billionaires. FYI leadership listened to this complaint and they recently gave us a new way to cash out some of our stock + comp which is a great start.

Explore other reviews about Airbnb

5.0
8 June 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 June 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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