Aug 3, 2018
Tripadvisor Response
7yWow, I’m surprised to have such an unhappy employee and while I’ll address many of your concerns here, I would also welcome an in-person conversation.
My style: In full transparency, it’s very tough to read comments like the ones you’ve posted. I care deeply about the people in this company and how we run as an organization. Because of this, I like to be involved in many aspects of the business. I recognize, however, that there’s a fine line between involvement and micromanagement and I continue to strive for the right balance.
I am pretty tireless in my commitment to bringing the best products to our users. I’m never shy to express my opinions about our products and at times, my opinions differ from those of other senior leaders. I’m always open to discussion and truly believe that honest and thoughtful debate leads to the best outcomes for our users. As a daily user of our products, I notice when something doesn’t work or could be improved. I file bugs and express my opinions in an effort to make our product better—and I want every employee to do the same. We are all important parts of the user community, and everyone’s feedback matters so we can continue to make improvements to our product that delight and inspire travelers.
It is true that earlier this year we lost two excellent female executives with significant tenure on our management team. As I am sure you know, we do still have female executive leadership in Beth Grous, our Chief People Officer, who is an important member of my team. I have always been, and will continue to be, an advocate for hiring and empowering strong female leadership, and for diversity across every aspect of our organization. Equity, Diversity and inclusion are top priorities and I promise you that we are interviewing a diverse slate of candidates for these two roles. That said, executive recruitment does take time. These are important roles for us to fill with the right leaders, and we are being thoughtful and thorough in our approach.
Finally, I’m very proud of the team we’ve built here at TripAdvisor and the exciting path ahead, as well as the positive trajectory and the momentum we are seeing across our business. We want every employee to have a great experience here, and I recognize that sometimes having difficult conversations is part of getting there. In that spirit, I would again encourage you to share any additional feedback with me, with Beth, or with your HR business partner, so we can learn from it individually and collectively, and continue to grow.
-Steve Kaufer, CEO