Ok perks and looks great on your resume - Anonymous employee Airbnb Employee Review

3.0
12 Feb 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Perks are ok. Free breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, the food options are not varied and dietary restrictions / allergies are not taken into account. You also receive a quarterly $500 travel "coupon" to use towards an Airbnb listing. The people that work here are extremely friendly and it truly is more like having a second family than having "co-workers".

Cons

Compensation is NOT competitive and raises (or even cost of living increases) are few and far between. Positions that warrant a salary of $120,000 at other bay area tech startups, only receive about $60,000 at Airbnb. Many people (including myself) have had to take a significant pay cut. Essentially this means that Airbnb is not good for the long term, but alternatively is a great short term option to buff up your resume. Working at Airbnb is pretty much like belonging to a cult. If you don't fit it (introverts specifically) you will not succeed. Promotions are not given to the people that are the best fit for the position, but are given to the person that spends the most time socializing outside of work. Also, work life balance is practically non-existent.

Explore other reviews about Airbnb

5.0
25 Jun 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 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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