Prompt Cast
The Journey of Airbnb: From Rejection to Success
TLDR Joe Gebbia and his co-founders faced rejection and challenges before creating Airbnb, but were inspired to pursue the idea after hosting guests in their apartment during a design conference. Through constant iteration and dedication, they found success by listening to feedback and providing exceptional customer service, even going as far as setting up a bed for guests in need.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to "How I Built This" early and ad-free.
03:15
Joe Gebbia and his co-founders faced numerous challenges and rejections before creating Airbnb, a concept initially dismissed by many as unlikely to succeed.
06:20
Joe Gebbia and his co-founder Brian Chesky were inspired to pursue the idea of Airbnb after receiving mixed reactions from people about guests staying in their apartment during a design conference, leading them to believe there was potential in the concept.
08:59
The founders of Airbnb were inspired to keep pushing forward with their idea after experiencing the magic of hosting guests in their own home.
11:58
Airbnb's early iterations involved the idea of providing air beds for conferences, but after multiple failed launches, they eventually found success by constantly listening to feedback and iterating their product.
14:55
Joe Gebbia initially handled customer service for Airbnb, even going as far as driving to help lost guests in the middle of the night when their host couldn't be reached.
17:47
Joe Gebbia improvised by quickly setting up his own bed for Airbnb guests in need of a last-minute accommodation in San Francisco.
Categories:
Business
