EP 107: Steve Kaufer (Co-Founder, Tripadvisor) - Why He Left & What He’s Building Now

Steve Kaufer led Tripadvisor to multi-billion dollar success over a 20+ year run as CEO. He discusses getting acquired and spun out from IAC, becoming a public company CEO, and his biggest operating lessons from his decades-long journey. Steve also shares behind-the-scenes of his new venture, Give Freely, and reflects on his entrepreneurial path. (00:00) Intro(01:00)  Steve Kaufer's Journey with Tripadvisor(03:18) Handling Negative Reviews and Legal Issues(05:24) Psychology of Reviews and User Behavior(10:01) Impact of AI on Review Platforms(15:02) Graduation Speech and Key Lessons(16:33) Speed Wins: The Importance of Agility(22:46) Measuring Success and Embracing Change(28:40) Hard Work and Personal Growth(36:20) Management and Leadership Insights(40:23) Setting Company Culture(48:00) Adapting to Market Changes(51:45) Hiring the Right People(53:27) Identifying Red Flags in Interviews(54:51) The Importance of Self-Improvement(55:29) Curiosity and Adaptability in Candidates(56:36) Managing Through Crises: 9/11 and COVID-19(01:02:12) Lessons from Early Career and Centerline Software(01:05:02) Founding Tripadvisor and Its Growth(01:18:03) Tripadvisor's Acquisition and Integration with IAC(01:25:23) Transitioning from Tripadvisor to Give Freely(01:27:26) The Vision and Impact of Give Freely(01:37:10) Conclusion and Final Thoughts Show Notes:https://givefreely.com/  Executive Producer: Rashad AssirProducer: Leah ClapperMixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA 🎙 Listen to the show Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9zb0hJZkhWbg 🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1 Follow on Socials 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow About the Show Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.