Becoming worse every year. Slowly, but - Anonymous employee KAYAK Employee Review

3.0
Mar 24, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

Some teammates are great (collaborative, knowledgeable, fun, and supportive).

Cons

The company used to focus on creating an outstanding work environment, with a real emphasis on employee well-being and motivation. Unfortunately, that culture has been deteriorating over time. Additionally: - Compensation. The total compensation package (base salary + bonus + RSUs) is noticeably below the even market average across all markets (not only the US and EU), especially considering the expected workload and responsibilities. - Benefits. Year after year, benefits are being gradually reduced. This includes healthcare, wellness perks, and internal programs — the trend is clearly downward. - Management. There is a serious lack of strategic thinking and data-driven decision-making at various management levels. Leadership tends to deflect accountability and push responsibility for failed decisions onto individual contributors. - Ownership and Motivation. Due to low compensation, declining benefits, and minimal raises, employee motivation is low. Many people are doing the bare minimum, which creates a culture of mediocrity. The general vibe is: "Why should I put in extra effort if it doesn't change anything?". No one wants to take on additional responsibilities or go the extra mile — and honestly, it's hard to blame them. - Internal Promotions. A large majority of mid-to-senior managers have grown internally, and while that might sound good, it leads to a very narrow perspective. Many have limited exposure to modern engineering practices, leadership approaches, or scalable team processes. In some cases, promotions seem to be driven more by personal connections or domain knowledge than actual leadership skills — e.g. someone being promoted not because they’re a strong engineer or a capable manager, but because they "know the domain". - WFO. No comments.

Explore other reviews about KAYAK

5.0
Jul 6, 2026
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

Incredibly helpful team members Very genuine people Geographic diversity Work-life balance is understood and appreciated Supportive culture

Cons

Compensation could be more competitive Lots of internal systems to navigate (but it's getting better) Limited racial diversity, at least on the Commercial teams

5.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

- Super smart team to learn from and very welcoming people - All voices are heard and ideas can be elevated and tested - Positive environment where many people have been with the company a long time and truly care about its success - Sporadic work travel and offsites - Free lunch in office 2 days a week and bagels, snacks, and drinks all the time - In office gym - Parking commuter benefit

Cons

- Reporting tool is specific to the company and can be a bit of a learning curve to figure out, but again, there are really great people to help you! - Multiple offices throughout the world, where team members are spread across or fully remote, so its rare that the entire team would be in one office together for collaboration - No train commuter benefit to coincide with parking benefit

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