Airbnb

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Pricing

Airbnb

Why it is one to watch: One of the few high profile, consumer-brand tech companies going public in this period, it will test investors' confidence in the home-sharing business model, which has been under regulatory and competitive attack. The fact that it is occurring during a pandemic which has devastated travel also poses a challenge.

Expected timing: December.

Type: IPO

S-1: Filed 11/16. Amended filing 12/1 here.

Airbnb Org Chart

Articles & Briefs

Francis Davidson, CEO of Sonder. Photo: Bloomberg

Exclusive

Travel Startups

VC-Backed Sonder Cuts One-Third of Staff as Travel Plummets

By Cory Weinberg · March 24, 2020 9:00 AM PDT · 2 comments

Sonder, a venture capital-backed operator of apartment-based lodgings for tourists and business travelers, laid off or furloughed more than 400 people, about one-third of its staff, in a bid to offset a declining number of bookings as the travel market collapses.The San Francisco-based company is the largest of a raft of startups that have... Sonder, a venture capital-backed operator of apartment-based lodgings for tourists and business...

Briefing

Travel Venture Capital

Airbnb Considers Raising Money Privately as Business Reels

March 20, 2020 · 11:13 AM PDT

Airbnb has reportedly lost hundreds of millions of dollars this year as people stopped traveling.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky in 2018. Photo: AP

Travel Real Estate

Airbnb’s Longstanding Ties to Hosts Frayed by Crisis

By Cory Weinberg · March 18, 2020 7:01 AM PDT · 2 comments

Airbnb won fans among travelers over the weekend when it said it would fully refund anyone who was canceling an upcoming stay due to coronavirus. For hosts, the announcement was considerably tougher to absorb. The decision meant property owners would have little chance of recouping their losses. The move risks alienating Airbnb’s... Airbnb won fans among travelers over the weekend when it said it would fully refund anyone who...

Briefing

Travel

Airbnb Lets Customers Cancel Reservations in U.S.

March 13, 2020 · 12:10 PM PDT

Anyone with Airbnb reservations in the U.S. through April 1 will be able to cancel free of charge.

Briefing

Travel Startups

Bookings Plummet for Airbnb, Other Short-Term Rental Sites in March

March 12, 2020 · 3:17 PM PDT

Two analytics firms that amass data from short-term rental sites have started to show some of the damage.

Briefing

Travel

Airbnb Tries to Get More Hosts to Refund Cancelled Bookings

March 10, 2020 · 2:41 PM PDT

Airbnb has seen a rash of cancelations in the wake of the coronavirus. But it needs its hosts' help to refund guests.

A trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. Photo by AP

News Analysis

Markets

As Prices Fall, Private Equity’s Deal Appetite Could Grow

By Kevin Dugan · March 10, 2020 1:35 PM PDT · 2 comments

Monday’s market decline–the biggest one-day drop since 2008—is rattling markets and is likely to throw tech companies’ initial public offering plans into jeopardy. It may be just the moment that private equity giants have been waiting for.For years, as valuations of private and public tech companies have climbed, some... Monday’s market decline–the biggest one-day drop since 2008—is rattling markets...

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky at an event in 2018. Photo by AP.

As Airbnb Ponders Timing of Listing, Stock Grants Impose Deadline

By Cory Weinberg · March 4, 2020 7:02 AM PST · 7 comments

Travel Startups

As Airbnb Ponders Timing of Listing, Stock Grants Impose Deadline

By Cory Weinberg · March 4, 2020 7:02 AM PST · 7 comments

In June 2018, CEO Brian Chesky assured employees that Airbnb would go public by 2020. What nobody could have foreseen then was that a viral pandemic would threaten to pulverize the travel industry and hurt Airbnb’s business just as it planned to introduce itself to public investors. While global economic disruption would typically... In June 2018, CEO Brian Chesky assured employees that Airbnb would go public by 2020. What nobody...

FNDR CEO James Vincent. Photo by Cara Robbins

The Big Interview

Venture Capital Startups

Former Apple Ad Guru Becomes ‘Storyteller’ for Tech Founders

By Alex Heath · Feb. 26, 2020 7:00 AM PST · 1 comment

James Vincent helped Steve Jobs come up with some of Apple’s most memorable advertisements, from its Mac versus PC commercials to an iPod campaign featuring dancing silhouettes. More recently, Vincent has turned himself into a brand whisperer to some of the most prominent companies in tech and media, including Snap, Vice Media and... James Vincent helped Steve Jobs come up with some of Apple’s most memorable advertisements,...

Casper CEO Philip Krim ringing a ceremonial bell at the New York Stock Exchange the day Casper went public. Photo by AP

Markets

DoorDash, Airbnb Face Wary Investors in Plans to Go Public

By Kevin Dugan · Feb. 25, 2020 10:00 AM PST · 7 comments

Casper Sleep’s nightmare of a public market debut earlier this month has demonstrated that investor skepticism toward money-losing tech companies persisted into 2020. And that raises questions for several high-profile tech names contemplating going public this year, including two of the most highly valued, Airbnb and DoorDash.Unless they... Casper Sleep’s nightmare of a public market debut earlier this month has demonstrated that...

Briefing

Markets Travel

Airbnb Public Listing Not Expected Until Q3 or Later

Feb. 11, 2020 · 11:02 AM PST

Airbnb's costs also continued to climb faster than revenues through Q3 last year, in part due to general and administrative expenses.

Briefing

Startups Asia

Airbnb Halts Beijing Listings Through February Amid Virus

Feb. 10, 2020 · 1:04 AM PST

The move adds to the growing list of U.S. companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Exclusive

Travel Startups

Influx of Professional Hosts Tests Airbnb’s Message

By Cory Weinberg · Jan. 21, 2020 7:01 AM PST · 1 comment

Last fall, in Airbnb’s first major advertising campaign in more than two years, it portrayed hosts as regular homeowners happy to rent out a spare room and socialize with their guests. The message—that Airbnb helps foster a global community by bringing together travelers and locals—is one Airbnb has promoted since its earliest... Last fall, in Airbnb’s first major advertising campaign in more than two years, it...

Briefing

Markets Travel

Airbnb to Award Employee Bonuses Tied to Guest Safety, Other Metrics

Jan. 17, 2020 · 10:26 AM PST

As Airbnb nears a direct listing, the company says it will annually update "stakeholders" on a series of metrics such as host earnings and guest safety.

The Takeaway

‘Masageddon’ and the Limits of the SoftBank Playbook

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan. 11, 2020 7:46 AM PST · 1 comment

Back in September, when Cory broke the story of the WeWork’s impending layoffs, we wondered: Was this just the beginning? So, this week, when he got a tip that Getaround—the car rental service backed by SoftBank—was planning to cut a quarter of its staff, he whipped up a chart to keep track of the toll. We published that... Back in September, when Cory broke the story of the WeWork’s impending layoffs, we...

Briefing

Startups

Airbnb Grapples With Safety Issues Ahead of IPO

Dec. 26, 2019 · 9:27 PM PST

How much responsibility Airbnb has for crimes committed by hosts and guests is up for debate, but it could have a negative impact on its upcoming IPO.

Briefing

Real Estate Policy

Airbnb Scores EU Legal Victory With Online Platform Ruling

Dec. 19, 2019 · 10:38 AM PST

The ruling puts Airbnb under a looser regulatory regime, and should strengthen its position in arguments over its operations with other European municipalities.