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

3.0
Mar 24, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
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
Jan 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people and interesting industry to be in

Cons

Sometimes too focused on the data and not the human experience.

4.0
Nov 24, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits: Healthcare had great coverage and affordable monthly payments. I also really appreciated the work-from-wherever policy as well as all the office snacks. Fantastic people: I genuinely loved the people I worked with—they made me feel like I belonged and was appreciated. My manager worked to build me up, something that can't be said for a lot of places. Travel perks: The ability to travel for work made this experience incredibly rewarding.

Cons

Slow mobility: Trying to get promoted felt like a moving goalpost—the expectations changed every six months and made it nearly impossible to get to the next step. Even then, the business was stingy about who gets promoted, which was incredibly discouraging after years of trying to prove myself.

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