Tripadvisor Reviews

Pros

good pay, and benefits overall a good time

Cons

awkward office interactions, but not too bad

Pros

The Boston office and especially kitchen is amazing and New York isn't too bad either. Used to be some fantastic people to work with. Every day was a joy to come to work. Sadly that all changed in 2019.

Cons

Every member of the team hired from Conde Nast is incompetent, lacking basic knowledge of internet fundamentals, territorial to a level that goes so far beyond toxic, and most of all are just mean, spiteful people. And yet they all awarded themselves big titles despite clear lack of talent or experience. You were either part of 'the Conde Nast clique' or you were out. Every day became like living through junior high school all over again. The immediate effects on our business and morale were shocking. They would fudge sales numbers, rebrand existing products as something new that they'd invented, disparage other people's good work, refuse to ever listen to suggestions, use our sales calls to shame people publicly, and so much more. I heard one coworker say 'their only real talent is creating roadblocks' and it is just so true. We saw an executive assistant hired in NYC quit in less than two weeks because he was being made to do their laundry and write their Tinder profiles. I heard the same stories from my coworkers all over the country and so many of us had talks with human resources, but nothing was ever done and they used the recent COVID-19 layoffs to get rid of even more great people who dared question them, including me and most of my team. How Steve Kaufer let all of this happen I do not know, but it was a relief when I was let get go as after this nightmare experience I need time with my family to recover. It is a sad day as I will always have wonderful memories of what Tripadvisor once was and the good people I worked with there, but on to bigger and better things.

Pros

Colleagues, benefits, culture (prior to 2019)

Cons

The company is a hot mess right now for a variety of reasons; however, one of the biggest mistakes was hiring a key officer on the leadership team. This person is intelligent on the surface but has created a corrosive, toxic work environment. The culture of TripAdvisor that so many people loved is now a distant memory. Additionally, the B2C team is extremely disorganized, unproductive and unable to execute. The company did need innovation and a fresh perspective but this is not the type of leader that breeds success.

Pros

Great benefits, perks, generous severance packages

Cons

I loved working at Tripadvisor until the last 1.5 years. After a major reorg that should have been positive, everything took a turn for the worse. Almost all new hires came from Conde Nast, bringing with them an immediate negative impact on culture. It quickly became an "Us" versus "Them" environment; you were either in the clique or you weren't. Long time talented employees who were successful in their roles were pushed aside or out all together. The company also quietly laid off over 200 people in February due to it's own business mismanagement. Then weeks later COVID-19 hits, another 900 people are let go, and the PR machine was in full effect blaming it on the pandemic alone. It's sad to see what the place has become. The downward spiral appears to continue. I hope they can right the ship for the sake of the employees left behind and for what was once a most beloved brand, but it might be too far gone.

Pros

Depending on which team you are on, the people can be amazing. I have learned so much from some truly great people many who will be life long friends. The company pays well and has great benefits.

Cons

The company has been on a bad trajectory for a while. I don't have much hope that it will pull itself out. Re-orgs seem to be a substitute for an actual company strategy.

Pros

The people are the best that I've ever worked with. A great, empathetic, and intelligent group who all have a good idea of what they want to do.

Cons

Consistent alignment and breaking silos is what this company will need to succeed. The company tried to do too much without really perfecting anything...while the mantra is "speed wins", that often leads to some hastiness inhibiting the growth of products as well as individuals.

Pros

Strong female mentorship & management throughout company, decent benefits

Cons

"Speed wins" mantra, would've preferred more travel coverage or allowance

Pros

- Competitive pay for many positions - Beautiful office space in Needham - Still one of the biggest B2C web properties on the east coast; opportunity to impact billions of users - Pockets of truly great people across the company

Cons

For many years TripAdvisor was a hub of really strong tech talent in the greater Boston area. A well-managed MBA rotational program kept the PM organization staffed with young, bright minds who frequently matured into competent managers. The VP and Director levels were stacked with sharp, experienced operators. During this time, Trip was a well-oiled machine, but in 2015 the platform and business started hitting a ceiling. After a failed attempt to pivot to a booking platform there was quite a bit of turnover of the "old guard." This wasn't an inherently bad thing; there were some new leaders emerging with compelling plans to modernize the site and revitalize the UGC flywheel. Well-developed talent at the mid and junior levels were able to step into management roles, and teams executed at a high level, but competitive headwinds continued to impede growth. After a significant redesign in 2018 failed to immediately move the engagement needle, there was another shake-up at the leadership level. This time the board bet on talent sourced from the NYC media industry. Over the course of 2019 there was a noticeable shift in corporate culture. Suddenly there was a tremendous amount of negativity from the top down but no real guidance or strategic vision. A "Devil Wears Prada" management style prevailed. Former NYC colleagues were hired and given vague titles and job responsibilities, and an insular bubble quickly formed (hence the "Mean Girls" references in other reviews). Leadership was seldom in the office and 3rd party design agencies were hired to re-think the core business and product strategy, with dubious results. The situation devolved to the point where annual planning sessions literally did not take place in 2019 - an unprecedented display of absentee leadership. This bizarre radio silence left many feeling alienated and seriously concerned about the trajectory of the company. In 2020 Trip's market position continued to weaken in the absence of any coherent strategy and continued pressure from competitors. Multiple rounds of layoffs have delivered a major blow to team morale.