People are nice, sometimes overly nice, almost hypocritical - Software Engineer Airbnb Employee Review

3.0
27 Apr 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

People are nice to each other. Lots of positive thinking; lots of cheerleading. My team is hosting birthdays, anniversaries for every member. Definitely politically correct, sometimes feel like overly correct.

Cons

Cannot speak for other teams, but in my team, performance is purely based upon results. And not on any good results, but certain results desired by the management. You could easily find your contribution "annulled" because those results aren't what are cared about by managers. People tend to avoid direct confrontation and being nice in the first place, then you might find yourself backstabbed. Are there lots of politics? I've seen worse in other places. Lots of people pretend to be caring about core values, cultures, goodness but actually what they care might just be stock units and compensation. This is frustrating to me as I sincerely joined because of some idealistic belief. Now I'm just loathing myself for being naive and stupid. Well, guess I'll just have to eat the xx up and carry on....

Explore other reviews about Airbnb

5.0
19 Mar 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good culture, cool product, great CEO

Cons

Too much politics; things are moving pretty slowly

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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