Airbnb

Technology / Travel

Founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb operates an online marketplace connecting people who rent out their homes with those looking for accommodation across more than 220 countries and regions.

View Official Airbnb Careers

Official Airbnb Careers Website

Quick Facts

Founded: 2008
Founders: Chesky, Gebbia & Blecharczyk
Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Industry: Travel & Technology

About Airbnb

Airbnb was founded in San Francisco in 2008 by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, who rented air mattresses in their apartment to attendees of a design conference to cover their rent. Nathan Blecharczyk joined as co-founder and CTO. The company was initially called AirBed & Breakfast before being shortened to Airbnb.

Airbnb went public on NASDAQ in December 2020 -- the same year COVID-19 severely disrupted global travel. The company diversified beyond accommodation rentals with Airbnb Experiences (guided activities hosted by locals) and has expanded its host base to include professional property managers alongside individual hosts.

What Airbnb Does

Stays

Short-term accommodation rentals ranging from spare rooms to entire homes, villas, and unique properties.

Experiences

Guided activities and tours hosted by local experts, bookable through the Airbnb platform.

Airbnb for Work

Accommodation and experience solutions for business travellers and corporate team trips.

Career Areas

Types of professional roles found inside Airbnb.

Software Engineering
Data Science & Analytics
Product Management
Trust & Safety
Marketing
Finance
Legal
People Operations

Airbnb's History

2008
AirBed & Breakfast founded
Airbnb founded in San Francisco by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk.
2009
Y Combinator and rebrand
Airbnb accepted into Y Combinator; rebranded from AirBed & Breakfast to Airbnb.
2016
Airbnb Experiences launched
Airbnb launches Experiences -- guided activities and tours hosted by locals.
2020
IPO on NASDAQ
Airbnb lists on NASDAQ in December 2020, despite severe COVID-19 disruption to travel.
2023
Airbnb Rooms launched
Airbnb Rooms relaunched, reviving the original host-and-guest room-sharing concept.

Purpose & Values

“To create a world where anyone can belong anywhere”

Airbnb describes this mission as driving its focus on building genuine connections between hosts and guests -- making travel a more human, locally embedded experience.

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