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 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 of The Logan Bartlett Show, we sit down with the people behind today’s most important startups and extract the tactics, lessons, and frameworks they’ve learned the hard way. Conversations span hiring to GTM, product, growth, fundraising and everything in between - collectively forming the ultimate playbook to make you a better CEO, investor or board member.

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