Potentially great company if you don't consider engineering management - Engineering Lead OpenTable Employee Review

1.0
Oct 14, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* Location is good - close to BART * The stock was high - it could go there again * They don't seem to care if you don't work long hours * Most of the employees are cool and competent * The company has a great market niche

Cons

* The engineering VP rules by fear * One of the engineering directors is the most inaccurate yet condescending person you will ever meet (i.e. he is frequently wrong but talks down to you even when you are right - it's quite amazing) * You won't be trusted to think and do a your job without being micromanaged * Favoritism is frequent and out of control * You will be sacrificed to 'the bus' and demoted if a manager needs to lay blame on someone else (even if said manager was micromanaging you) * The technology is about 10 years behind current times and no one in management is in a hurry to change that

Explore other reviews about OpenTable

5.0
Mar 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great place to work - really good work life balance and culture.

Cons

Not much to say, everything is good

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OpenTable Response
16h
Hooray!! Thank you for taking the time to leave this review,
1.0
Jun 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* It's a great brand * Great partners * Decent product with strong distribution

Cons

* Management style was heavily top-down, with decision-making concentrated among a small group of senior leaders. * This was the same when they were all working at KAYAK under the same group * I observed what I felt was preferential treatment of certain employees (notably of a certain ethnicity - IYKYK), which negatively impacted perceptions of fairness and inclusivity within the organisation. * The workplace environment could be highly stressful, and concerns raised by employees were not always addressed effectively. * Staff wellbeing, retention, and morale appeared to be ongoing challenges during my time with the company.

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OpenTable Response
16h
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're glad to hear you had a positive experience with our brand, partners, and product. We take employee feedback seriously and are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace while continuously improving communication, leadership effectiveness, and the overall employee experience. We appreciate the contributions of both current and former team members, and we use feedback like yours to help inform our ongoing efforts to grow and improve as an organization. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
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