Airbnb origin and founders

Overview

Two unemployed RISD art school graduates, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, founded Airbnb in October 2007 by renting air mattresses during a San Francisco design conference.

Early Partnership at RISD

• Chesky and Gebbia first collaborated marketing RISD sports teams, successfully drawing students to hockey and basketball games using creative tactics
• Summer 2004 Conair internship: while teams designed hair dryers, they pitched unconventional products like soap shirts, shocking executives
• Realized their collaborative chemistry: "When we get together, ideas typically get bigger, not smaller"
• Post-graduation pizza: Gebbia predicted "We're going to start a company one day, and they're going to write a book about it"

Post-Graduation Divergence

• Chesky moved to Los Angeles, worked at industrial design firm 3DID designing for ESPN and Mattel
• Found work uninspiring compared to RISD's change-the-world idealism; felt trapped commuting 90 minutes daily in empty car
• Gebbia moved to San Francisco, worked at Chronicle Books as graphic designer
• Gebbia launched CritBuns seat cushions, won RISD award, landed MoMA Design Store order
• Gebbia repeatedly urged Chesky to move to SF; Chesky always refused citing lack of health insurance

The Move to San Francisco

• Chesky interviewed extensively at Method home products company but didn't receive job offer; felt crestfallen
• Loved San Francisco's creative entrepreneurial energy during interview visits, reminded him of RISD spirit
• September 2007: Gebbia's roommates moved out after rent increased to $1,150; desperately needed replacement tenants
• Chesky initially proposed renting Gebbia's sofa three days weekly to split time between cities
• Finally agreed to take bedroom, broke up with girlfriend, left LA possessions, drove to SF overnight

Birth of AirBed & Breakfast

• Brainstormed ways to cover increased rent plus empty third bedroom before deadline
• October 2007: ICSID/IDSA World Congress design conference coming to SF with tight hotel capacity
• Conceived bed-and-breakfast using Gebbia's three camping air mattresses in living room, charging $80 per airbed
• Hired freelance HTML developer to build website advertising service to design community
• Promoted through design blogs and conference organizers as "like Craigslist & Couch surfing.com, but classier"
• Listed amenities: roof deck, design library, motivational posters, 3-D typography

First Three Guests

• Guests were professional designers on budgets seeking affordable lodging, not hippie backpackers as expected
• Surve Googled "airbed" (unfamiliar term), tracked down Gebbia's cell phone after form submission went unanswered
• Surve described mutual benefit: "I was trying to hack the conference, they were hacking rent—a perfect match"