Adyen
Large (~4,770)
Airbnb
Large (~7,300)
Best For
Adyen
Best for: Payments and backend engineers who value a no-nonsense engineering-first culture with above-average WLB and the challenge of processing global financial transactions at massive scale
Airbnb
Best for: Engineers who want Live Anywhere flexibility with strong comp and no pay cuts
Ratings
AdyenAirbnb
3.8
4.1
Overall
4.1
4.0
Work-Life Balance
3.9
4.2
Culture & Values
3.8
4.2
Comp & Benefits
3.6
3.5
Senior Mgmt
3.6
3.5
Career Opps
👍 76% Recommend
👤 80% CEO Approval (Ingo Uytdehaage)
👍 80% Recommend
👤 87% CEO Approval (Brian Chesky)
Culture Values
Adyen only
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact🌱 Learning & Growth
Airbnb only
🌐 Remote-Friendly🌈 Diverse & Inclusive🔓 Open Source💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Shared
⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Pros & Cons
Adyen
- Smart, humble colleagues with high standards and a market-leading payments product
- Good work-life balance with trust-based culture, free lunch, and international team trips
- Below-market compensation (~20% less than peers) with poor stock options
- Middle management quality issues as company scaled — inexperienced managers and internal politics
Airbnb
- Live and Work Anywhere policy — genuine remote flexibility with no pay cuts
- Strong compensation and benefits with quarterly travel credits and educational stipends
- Limited career growth — senior roles often filled externally, promotions are slow
- Post-IPO cultural shift — increasing bureaucracy and internal politics at mid-to-senior levels
Bottom Line
Adyen
Adyen's engineering culture is well-regarded in fintech — principled, WLB-conscious (4.1/5), and technically rigorous — but expect a methodical Amsterdam-centric culture rather than a high-growth startup vibe.
Airbnb
Choose Airbnb if you want genuine remote flexibility and travel perks — but promotions are slow and bureaucracy is growing.
Open Roles
Adyen — 302 jobs
💻 Engineering
82
💼 Sales / GTM
67
👤 HR / People
16
⚖️ Legal
15
📋 Product
14
💰 Finance
12
📊 Data
11
⚙️ Operations
11
📣 Marketing
5
🎨 Design
4
🧠 ML / AI
2
🎧 Support
1
Airbnb — 243 jobs
💻 Engineering
77
🎧 Support
23
📋 Product
13
📊 Data
12
📣 Marketing
10
🧠 ML / AI
10
⚙️ Operations
10
⚖️ Legal
8
💼 Sales / GTM
7
🎨 Design
2
💰 Finance
2
👤 HR / People
2
Summary
Adyen scores 3.8/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.1 work-life balance rating. Airbnb scores 4.1/5.0 overall with a 4.0 WLB. That’s a 0.3-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Work-Life Balance. Adyen also emphasizes Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact, Learning & Growth. Airbnb also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Diverse & Inclusive, Open Source, Strong Comp & Equity.
On the hiring front, Adyen has 302 open roles and Airbnb has 243 open roles.