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 Assir
Producer: Leah Clapper
Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky
Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA
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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.
