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Airbnb’s Brian Chesky: “We died and were reborn.”
Podcast

Airbnb’s Brian Chesky: “We died and were reborn.”

Masters of Scale Podcast: Rapid Response episode

Reid Hoffman and Brian Chesky
WhatWait, 2020
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Eye Opening
  • Bold

Recommendation

Early in 2020, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky came back from vacation thinking his company was prospering; he was preparing to take it public. Then, over the course of two chaotic months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company’s revenue dropped 80%. People thought Airbnb was over. But Chesky – in this discussion on Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale podcast – says he recognized that a crisis of this magnitude was an opportunity to step up and demonstrate the company’s values. Not only did Airbnb survive, but 2020’s dark times proved defining and successful. Airbnb now has a valuation of more than $100 billion.

Take-Aways

  • Early in 2020, Airbnb’s revenues went down by 80%, and its future was in question.
  • In May 2020, CEO Brian Chesky laid off 25% of Airbnb’s employees.
  • After the layoffs, when an IPO seemed impossible, the company sought a round of emergency funding.

About the Podcast

Brian Chesky is co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. Reid Hoffman, host of the Masters of Scale podcast, is co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn, a venture capitalist and an author.

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