{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"","title":"EP135: The Airbnb Story with Leigh Gallagher","description":"Airbnb owes much of its success to the visual appeal of the site, which has been referred to as “Pinterest meets real estate porn.” But did you know that in Airbnb’s early days, Brian and Joe spent time with hosts in New York and took the pictures themselves to help upgrade the listings?
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\nThe Airbnb story is a compelling one, and you might be surprised by many moments in Airbnb history that made a significant impact.
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\nToday Jasper chats with Leigh Gallagher, Fortune editor and author of The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions … and Created Plenty of Controversy. They discuss the company’s early struggles, pivotal moments in their growth and development as well as the ongoing controversies that plague Airbnb.
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\nTopics Covered
\nThe inception of Airbnb and its early struggles
\n•\tJoe and Brian met at RISD
\n•\tRented out their apartment in San Francisco to pay rent
\n•\tEach racked up $20,000 in credit card debt during development
\n•\tLaunched at SXSW but gained little traction in first year
\n•\tInvestors skeptical due to issues around safety
\nWhen Airbnb finally began to turn things around
\n•\tPushed to apply for Y Combinator in 2009
\n•\tReceived critical advice from Paul Graham
\n•\tGo to your users
\n•\tDo things that don’t scale
\n•\tObtained investment from VC Greg McAdoo
\nThe major challenges of creating a company around the Airbnb product
\n•\tGerman competitor Wimdu
\n•\tRansacking incident in June 2011
\n•\tBuilding a culture
\n•\tHiring seasoned executives, i.e.: Chip Conley
\nHow Airbnb shifted from technology to hospitality
\n•\tBegan as a platform with software as product
\n•\tRealized hosts were product
\n•\tSought to formalize standards and teach hospitality at scale
\nAirbnb’s grand ambitions to expand to products outside homes
\n•\tExperiences
\n•\tRestaurant reservations
\n•\tEvent booking
\n•\tFlights
\n•\tOther services
\nThe controversial aspects of Airbnb
\n•\tLegal challenges
\n•\tNeighbor issues
\n•\tSafety incidents
\n•\tDiscrimination
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\nConnect with Leigh
\nleighgallagher.com
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\nResources Mentioned
\nThe Airbnb Story on Amazon
\nThe Airbnb Story at Barnes & Noble
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\nConnect with Jasper
\nEmail: jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com
\nTwitter: @GetPaidForUrPad
\nInstagram: @GetPaidForYourPad
\nFacebook: www.facebook.com/getpaidforyourpad
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\nThis episode is sponsored by Hostfully.com where you can create a custom digital guidebook for your guests!","author_name":"Freewyld Foundry"}