AIRBNB’S TALE OF DISRUPTION

IT TOOK LESS than a decade for Airbnb to become the world’s largest provider of accommodation. Today valued at $30 billion, it’s one of the hottest ever ‘unicorn’ start-ups in Silicon Valley.

Not surprisingly the company has not been without controversy. Disrupting the world’s hotel industry understandably produces quite a few enemies. There are the regulators who want to shut it down, hotel industry leaders who want it to disappear, and neighbourhoods that struggle with private homes open for public rental.

But beyond the headlines and horror stories, Airbnb has changed the terms of travel for a whole generation – where a sense of belonging has built trust between hosts and guests seeking a more original travel experience.

Now Leigh Gallagher, assistant managing editor at Fortune magazine, has written the first, definitive book that tells the remarkable story behind Airbnb and provides the first in-depth character study of its leader Brian Chesky – the company’s somewhat curious cofounder and CEO. The book, published by Virgin Books, reveals what got Airbnb where it is today, why they are nothing like Uber, and where they are going next.