Airbnb ft. Brian Chesky - Battling a copycat clone and rebuilding user trust to revolutionize travel

09/07/23 • 39 min

As Airbnb took off in the early 2010s, Brian Chesky remembers worrying, “this is just one accident away from being a dead idea.” That accident finally came in 2011 when a host’s apartment was ransacked. It set off a period of soul searching that became a turning point—the company’s efforts to rebuild trust led it to becoming the global behemoth it is today. In this episode, Brian reveals how this crisis shaped his thinking, and how the lessons would apply to the company’s next defining moments, including a pandemic that shut down global travel.

Host: Roelof Botha, Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital

Featuring: Brian Chesky, Ellie Mertz, Alfred Lin

Transcript: https://www.sequoiacap.com/podcast/crucible-moments-airbnb/

Host: Roelof Botha, Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital

Featuring: Brian Chesky, Ellie Mertz, Alfred Lin

Transcript: https://www.sequoiacap.com/podcast/crucible-moments-airbnb/

Previous Episode

PayPal ft. Max Levchin - A merger of enemies that reshaped Silicon Valley

PayPal was the defining tech company of its generation, with alumni going on to start YouTube, Tesla, Yelp, LinkedIn, among many others. But the company nearly didn’t make it. The PayPal of today only exists because of how its team navigated early, unprecedented inflection points. Find out why Max Levchin now says he does “not recommend” a merger of equals to anyone, how the team pioneered CAPTCHA to fight $10M in monthly fraud that nearly sank the fledgling business, and how they maneuvered through ongoing battles with eBay on their way to an IPO.

Host: Roelof Botha, Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital

Featuring: Max Levchin, Michael Moritz, Jimmy Soni

Transcript: https://www.sequoiacap.com/podcast/crucible-moments-paypal/

Next Episode

Block ft. Jack Dorsey - A controversial hack week project becomes the #1 financial services app

CEO Jack Dorsey reflects on Block’s origins and defining moments with host Roelof Botha.

Dorsey founded Square in 2009 with a clear vision: economic empowerment for all. Their dongle that turns iPhones into credit card readers was just the start. With Square, small business owners were able to reach more customers and better manage their companies. But when Cash App, which emerged from an internal hackathon, started to gain traction, Square had a decision to make: stick to their core focus, or risk building an unproven product for consumers? Dorsey explains how Block succeeded by weaving new products around a core vision, and how a controversial shift in strategy led them to fully deliver on their founding mission.

Host: Roelof Botha, Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital

Featuring: Jack Dorsey, Alyssa Henry, Brian Grassadonia