A plague - avoid at all costs - Manager Tripadvisor Employee Review

1.0
3 Aug 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Free lunch isn't always free

Cons

Steve Kaufer is a bully, who will pick on individuals until they reach their breaking point and walk out the door. Because he micromanages the entire business, TripAdvisor can never do two things at once. This leaves efforts that can be great successes (like Instant Book) as failures. In the last six months, we've lost all female executive leadership outside of HR (head of marketing, head of sales) as well as the male head of product. Steve has told us that he's going to hire two replacement presidents for this bloodbath at the leadership ranks. However, its been eight months and no hire has been made. The lack of ability to hire either these presidents over six months speaks to the fact that Steve spends his time filing bugs, calling out individual sales reps, engineers and marketers, and not executing on critical CEO tasks like strategy, hiring, culture, organization. Or potentially - just that the word on the executive street is that you should never work for Steve Kaufer. TripAdvisor may promise you a nice stock based signing bonus - but you'll never realize it while Steve is the CEO.

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Tripadvisor Response
7y
Wow, I’m surprised to have such an unhappy employee and while I’ll address many of your concerns here, I would also welcome an in-person conversation. My style: In full transparency, it’s very tough to read comments like the ones you’ve posted. I care deeply about the people in this company and how we run as an organization. Because of this, I like to be involved in many aspects of the business. I recognize, however, that there’s a fine line between involvement and micromanagement and I continue to strive for the right balance. I am pretty tireless in my commitment to bringing the best products to our users. I’m never shy to express my opinions about our products and at times, my opinions differ from those of other senior leaders. I’m always open to discussion and truly believe that honest and thoughtful debate leads to the best outcomes for our users. As a daily user of our products, I notice when something doesn’t work or could be improved. I file bugs and express my opinions in an effort to make our product better—and I want every employee to do the same. We are all important parts of the user community, and everyone’s feedback matters so we can continue to make improvements to our product that delight and inspire travelers. It is true that earlier this year we lost two excellent female executives with significant tenure on our management team. As I am sure you know, we do still have female executive leadership in Beth Grous, our Chief People Officer, who is an important member of my team. I have always been, and will continue to be, an advocate for hiring and empowering strong female leadership, and for diversity across every aspect of our organization. Equity, Diversity and inclusion are top priorities and I promise you that we are interviewing a diverse slate of candidates for these two roles. That said, executive recruitment does take time. These are important roles for us to fill with the right leaders, and we are being thoughtful and thorough in our approach. Finally, I’m very proud of the team we’ve built here at TripAdvisor and the exciting path ahead, as well as the positive trajectory and the momentum we are seeing across our business. We want every employee to have a great experience here, and I recognize that sometimes having difficult conversations is part of getting there. In that spirit, I would again encourage you to share any additional feedback with me, with Beth, or with your HR business partner, so we can learn from it individually and collectively, and continue to grow. -Steve Kaufer, CEO

Explore other reviews about Tripadvisor

5.0
18 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

people are awesome remote work is common pay and benefits are good

Cons

can they stay relevant in the world of AI

1
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Tripadvisor Response
4mo
Thank you for your positive remarks. As our company continues to evolve, we are appreciative of employee comments that highlight our strengths as well as areas we can improve upon.
2.0
21 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people you get to work with are genuinely great, and the work-life balance remains fairly solid. In the past, the company attracted top-tier engineering talent from the most reputable tech firms, and the expectations were high but rewarding. A lot of that collaborative culture still exists among the engineers. You will be surrounded by capable individuals who want to do good work.

Cons

The company has been battered by unresolved structural issues over the last decade. The core meta-search business was crippled when Google altered its algorithms to prioritize its own travel products, effectively choking off the organic traffic Tripadvisor depended on. Combined with the impact of COVID-19, leadership tried launching new products to escape this SEO reliance, but those attempts consistently missed the mark. Now, the rapid adoption of LLMs is delivering another severe blow. Users no longer need traditional meta-search to plan travel. The core Tripadvisor product has essentially become a legacy cash cow, with the Experiences division (Viator) being the primary engine keeping the business afloat. Following the departure of the former CEO, thousands of highly skilled employees have left through attrition or ongoing restructuring. Layoffs have become a grim constant, happening once or twice a year. Even if you manage to avoid the cuts, the compensation structure is no longer competitive for the tech industry, and RSUs have virtually dried up. Because of the abysmal direction and the very high chance you won't survive the next round of looming layoffs, I strongly recommend avoiding this company as a new hire.

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