Founder's Journal Brian Chesky on Startups, Leadership, and Curiosity
16 snips
Jan 29, 2024 
Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, discusses the negative effects of politics and bureaucracy on company culture, the importance of collaboration between engineering and marketing teams, the negative effects of siloed business divisions, the importance of marketing education and performance marketing, his experience with the near-death of his business during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the restructuring and operational changes implemented within the company.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
How Internal Politics Emerge
- As companies scale, separate technical stacks and dependencies cause teams to split into divisions.
- Advocacy for resources breeds politics, which breeds bureaucracy and slows growth.
Use Lasers, Chandeliers, And Product Marketing
- Use performance marketing like a laser and brand marketing like a chandelier to light the whole market.
- Create product marketing that teaches customers about new features to boost adoption.
Airbnb's Near-Death Business Moment
- During COVID Airbnb lost 80% of revenue in eight weeks, a near-death moment Chesky recalls.
- He documented work, cut projects and layers, and returned to a smaller functional startup model.