We're a provider of experiences, not strictly accommodation.
Historically, we've just been doing accommodation. And, going forward, we're really exploring the full boundaries of everything that someone needs while on a trip, and also how can we reinvent that experience.
Airbnb is built on the foundation of creating community through belonging, and we're honored to stand with a bipartisan group of mayors and businesses from across the country dedicated to improving communities by addressing affordable housing and homelessness.
Airbnb is creating a new marketplace for space and is facing many of the challenges that eBay faced back in 1998 when they created a new marketplace for goods.
When we founded Airbnb in 2008, our dream was to help create a world where you could belong anywhere, and that vision has taken root in almost every country in the world.
When you think about it, Airbnb is a great solution if your family is traveling with you on business and you need more space, if you're going for an extended stay, like a week plus. It's a great solution if you want close proximity to the work site and maybe there isn't a hotel across the street or whatnot.
We have to be careful that we don't have so much regulation that would prevent all of the people who are benefiting from Airbnb to benefit.
Talking to hosts and asking them, 'What does Airbnb mean to you?'... I get amazingly heartfelt stories about the people that they met, about the money that they earned, about the mindset of empowerment they got through this and how they then applied that to their own business.
No hotels have gone out of business because of Airbnb... Airbnb is not a perfect substitute for a hotel. We excel at different things.
Some hotels are trying to dig their feet in and trying to say that Airbnb shouldn't exist - that 'illegal hotels' shouldn't exist. And, of course, illegal hotels shouldn't exist. But when they say illegal hotels, sometimes they mean anything that's not a hotel.
Airbnb is dedicated to empowering people and communities through healthy tourism, and we have a long tradition of supporting local projects in Asia-Pacific.
There's a perception out there that Airbnb doesn't want there to be rules. We think rules would be fantastic. We think rules would help our community, but not necessarily the rules that have simply existed for decades.
For entrepreneurs, choosing your co-founders is like a professional marriage. You're going to go through tough times, and you need to remember that ideas can change, but business partners can't.
I think we've always thought that it's important to have a positive relationships with local government rather than taking a confrontational kind of stance.
I don't like asking people for things, so if I can do it myself, that's the mindset I have. My dad is very much a do-it-yourself kind of person, so I had a strong sense of independence.
I have incredible wealth, and I think there's a great responsibility to use this position to do good stuff.
I don't feel like my life happens to me. I feel like I happen to my life. I feel that I'm in the driver's seat.
We want to strike the right balance between the governments and our users. If there are concerns, we can work together.
Deviants from around the world are trying to 'beat' our system every day. We have to proactively identify suspicious behavior and quarantine users until additional verification steps can be taken.
