Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Author of book on Airbnb founders gives talk March 14
Author and business journalist Leigh Gallagher will discuss her newly-released book, The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions, and Created Plenty of Controversy, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, at Main Point Books, 116 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne. Originally from Media, Gallagher is also the author of The End of the Suburbs, published in 2013.
Her new book tells the remarkable behind-thescenes story of the creation and growth of the online lodging platform that has become, in under a decade, one of the largest providers of accommodations in the world. While neither owning nor controlling any of the inventory it offers, Airbnb instead invites everyday people to profit from their personal space and gives travelers a unique and affordable way to see the world — whether that’s a treehouse, a castle, or just a studio apartment in a residential part of town. Now valued at $30 billion, the privately held company, started by three unemployed college graduates in their San Francisco apartment, has had a radical and transformative impact on the travel industry, upsetting many business and political interests along the way.
Leigh Gallagher is an assistant managing editor at Fortune, where she also hosted the weekly online broadcast, Fortune Live. She is also cochair of the Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit and oversees the magazine’s 40 Under 40 editorial franchise. She appears regularly on CBS This Morning, CNBC, CNN, public radio’s Marketplace, and many other programs.
Books will be available for purchase and signing at the store.