# Tripadvisor: Steve Kaufer

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2022-10-31
- Length: 1h 15m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer

## Summary

Steve Kaufer, co-founder and former CEO of Tripadvisor, explains how the company pivoted from a failed B2B content licensing model to a profitable cost-per-click referral business after a $500 revenue check revealed the flaw in their partnership with Lycos. He details the strategic decision to walk away from a Yahoo acquisition offer in 2004 to remain independent, leading to a $210 million sale to IAC and a subsequent multi-billion dollar IPO. Kaufer also discusses the critical role of user-generated content, the challenges of combating fake reviews, and his personal journey through the loss of his wife while scaling the company to 400 million monthly visitors.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer#t=0) Introduction: Steve Kaufer and Tripadvisor
- [4:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer#t=240) Early Career and the Failure of Compuware
- [8:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer#t=519) The Origin Story: Mexico Trip and Initial Idea
- [13:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer#t=828) The Failed B2B Model and Lycos Partnership
- [30:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer#t=1836) The Pivot to Cost-Per-Click and Expedia
- [39:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer#t=2374) Scaling Traffic and User-Generated Content
- [48:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer#t=2888) Walking Away from Yahoo and Selling to IAC
- [58:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer#t=3480) Personal Tragedy and Company Growth
- [1:08:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer#t=4082) IPO, Pandemic Impact, and Future Plans

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up, large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Tripadvisor (company)
- Lycos (company)
- Expedia (company)
- Yahoo (company)
- IAC (company)
- Viator (company)
- La Fourchette (company)
- Glass Door (company)
- Compuware (company)
- Centerline Development Systems (company)
- TripResearch.com (product)
- Fodors (product)
- Lonely Planet (product)
- Travelocity (company)
- Priceline (company)
- Hotels.com (company)
- Hotwire (company)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- Google (company)
- Microsoft (company)

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- [159: Build a Community to Sell Your New Product Invention](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-01-18-159-build-a-community-to-sell-your-new-product-invention) (Product Startup)
- [220: How Storytelling Drives Consumer Product Sales](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2024-04-05-220-how-storytelling-drives-consumer-product-sales) (Product Startup)
- [Founder Feature: Bar Bruhis of Boostcous](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-07-24-founder-feature-bar-bruhis-of-boostcous) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [199: Selling a New Product Successfully on Amazon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-10-28-199-selling-a-new-product-successfully-on-amazon) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-31-tripadvisor-steve-kaufer. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.