
Loading
Verified employee & interview reviews
San Francisco, California
Airbnb, Inc. is an American company that operates the world's largest online marketplace for short-term and long-term homestays, travel experiences, and lodging services. Founded in August 2008 in San Francisco, California, by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, the company originally began in 2007 when its founders rented out air mattresses in their apartment to design conference attendees under the name "AirBed & Breakfast." Over the next two decades, it transformed from a casual room-sharing concept into a cornerstone of the global "sharing economy" alongside other major peer-to-peer platforms. The platform functions primarily as a digital broker, connecting property owners, known as hosts, with travelers looking for unique alternative accommodations rather than traditional hotels. Airbnb lists over 9 million active properties across more than 220 countries and territories, servicing upwards of 150,000 cities. Through its mobile application and desktop website, guests can book everything from single rooms and entire apartments to boutique hotels, vacation rentals, and exotic villas. The company drives revenue by charging a service commission on each processed reservation, typically structured as a 3% fee for property hosts and varying service fees for guests. In addition to traditional lodging, Airbnb has continually expanded its product vertical to establish a comprehensive travel ecosystem. In 2016, it introduced Airbnb Experiences, an initiative allowing local experts to host guided tours, culinary classes, and unique excursions. Adapting further to post-pandemic consumer behaviors and remote work trends, the company launched Airbnb Services in 2025, a program enabling travelers to book vetted on-demand luxury amenities like private chefs and localized car services directly inside the app. Financially, Airbnb completed a highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq stock exchange in December 2020 under the ticker symbol ABNB. Although the business suffered significant booking disruptions during the initial years of the COVID-19 pandemic, strategic restructuring and cost-cutting measures allowed it to post its first full year of GAAP profitability in 2022. For the trailing twelve months, the company generated approximately $12.65 billion in consolidated revenue, holding a robust market capitalization of over $80 billion. Currently led by co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky, Airbnb remains headquartered at 888 Brannan Street in San Francisco, managing a workforce of over 8,200 international employees. The company continues to blend technology with hospitality, relying heavily on artificial intelligence to refine its search engines, optimize localized property management, and scale its customer support operations worldwide.
Kairav Wadhwa
Employee review
Great place to grow — supportive teammates and real ownership of your work.
Pros
Anonymous Employee
Employee review
Learned a ton here. Fast-paced but the people make it worth it.
Pros
Cons