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   🎙 Listen to the show   Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1 Google 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.