Toxic culture shift in 2019 - Anonymous employee Tripadvisor Employee Review

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.