Great place to work if you want ownership and license/agency - Software Engineer Airbnb Employee Review

5.0
2 Feb 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Agency: if you see a gap, you can fill it. Several of our teams have been formed by a couple engineers deciding that something needs to be improved, and rather than telling management that there is a need, they just filled the need themselves.

Cons

For a lot of engineers, the tendency is to automate everything. It can require a fair bit of discipline to do things that don't scale, but at this stage of the company's growth, the opportunity cost of working on automation for a couple weeks can be significant.

Explore other reviews about Airbnb

5.0
25 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good time working there lots of cool people

Cons

overly-design-led, constant changing priorities based on whims from global leads

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.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All