Sinking ship - Senior Software Engineer Tripadvisor Employee Review

1.0
May 6, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good WLB, decent pay for the Boston area, good benefits

Cons

Hostile environment, ancient technology, tons of tech debt, bad practices all over the place, lack of vision, struggling finances, lots of perks and benefits were removed after the most recent layoffs

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Tripadvisor Response
5y
Thank you for taking the time to share your candid feedback and highlighting our benefits and work life balance. Similar to other large companies, change is inevitable. We are working together across all areas of the business to create a strategy and act in the best interest of our travelers, employees, and organization. In regards to the “hostile environment” mentioned, we are very sorry to hear that this was your experience. The company holds itself to a high standard in regards to ethics and work practices. We are also very open to the ideas and process improvements suggestions of employees. Any concerns that are flagged to management and/or HR are looked into thoroughly as transparency is one of our core values. If you are willing to share your experience, please feel free to contact us. Regarding our approach to tech debt, we agree we have a lot of old technology, and we’re also frustrated by it. Tripadvisor built a successful business on top of high scale user-generated content before there were commodity, off-the-shelf solutions to these things, and for a long time afterwards it was always easier to modify what we had rather than replace it. However, over time, it’s become increasingly clear that we need to do better, which is why we have invested a lot of time and effort this year in establishing a new, modern, easy-to-use reference architecture. There are a large number of engineers working on migrating our technical footprint into our new, modern architecture with a goal of allowing most engineers to work completely legacy-free as quickly as possible. That said, with the new front end stack and major efforts pushing a new backend stack, a continuing embrace of the various clouds, and a much more “do it right while you do it fast” focus than has at times been used in the past, Engineering vision is now leading a lot of what we’re doing as a company, so that we will emerge from the Covid-19 crisis in a much stronger shape, technically, than we entered it. Finally, during this period of transition, all of our leaders, including Steve, are doing their best to remain transparent. They’re working together across all areas of the business to create a strategy that considers the needs of the business as well as the needs of our employees. The steps we’ve taken years ago to invest in our assets areas, global scale and growth areas are continuing to help the business counter challenges we face today. - Carolyn Churcher, Vice President Global Talent Acquisition

Explore other reviews about Tripadvisor

5.0
Jan 18, 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
Jun 21, 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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