Airbnb CEO: “IT WAS SO DARK WE NEARLY DIED!”. I Was Lonely, Deeply Sad & Wanted To Be Loved! [INSPIRING!] Brian Chesky
Oct 9, 2023
auto_awesome
Steven Bartlett interviews Brian Chesky, Co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, discussing his difficult childhood, the impact of his art teacher, his work addiction, and the loneliness of success. They also talk about the importance of creativity, company culture, and the fight for survival during the pandemic.
Creativity and intuition played a crucial role in designing the end-to-end user experience of Airbnb, emphasizing the need for more artists and scientists in the corporate world.
Entrepreneurship can lead to isolation and loss of connection, highlighting the importance of finding a balance between work and personal life and seeking support from other entrepreneurs.
Cultivating a strong company culture is vital for long-term success, requiring founders to actively shape the culture and make it the foundation for innovation and growth.
A crisis can define a company's culture and reveal its true values, showing the importance of making principled decisions, preserving cash, and embracing creativity in challenging times.
Deep dives
The Power of Creativity and Following Intuition
Airbnb's journey started with a small idea and a design conference. They focused on getting 100 people to love their service rather than trying to reach a million users. Creativity and intuition played a crucial role in designing the end-to-end user experience of Airbnb, and the founders believed in the importance of bringing creativity and heart into business. They emphasized the need for more artists and scientists in the corporate world to create a better and more exciting future.
The Challenges and Loneliness of Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey that can lead to isolation and loss of connection with friends and family. The pressure to constantly work and achieve success can overshadow the importance of relationships and personal well-being. Founders need to find a balance between work and personal life, stay connected to loved ones, and seek support from other entrepreneurs who understand their journey.
The Importance of Culture in Building Companies
Cultivating a strong company culture is vital for long-term success. Founders bring a unique perspective and passion to their companies, and they have the permission and knowledge to shape the culture. Culture becomes the foundation for innovation and sets the stage for growth. It is essential to design the culture you want rather than letting it develop on its own.
The Enduring Legacy of Founders and Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs and founders play a pivotal role in driving change, creating wealth, and shaping society. Their audacity to believe in a different future and their ability to convince others to join their journey is what sets them apart. Founders bring a unique combination of love, permission, and an intimate understanding of their businesses, allowing them to build and rebuild companies that can outlast their own lifetimes.
The Importance of Culture and Leadership
Building a strong company culture goes beyond just writing down a list of values. Culture is created through shared experiences, lessons, and behaviors during difficult times. A leader's role is to lead by example, actively shaping the culture every day and ensuring it permeates every action and decision. The culture is not just about perks or surface-level elements; it defines how people behave and interact within the company. Culture is a key component of a successful company and a vital source of intellectual property.
Lessons Learned from a Crisis
A crisis can define a company's culture and reveal its true values. During Airbnb's darkest hour, when the pandemic hit and their business plummeted, the way they handled the crisis became their culture. Making principled decisions, acting with all stakeholders in mind, preserving cash, and pursuing long-term goals became their guiding principles. The crisis not only tested their resilience but allowed them to rebuild the company from the ground up, making difficult decisions along the way. It also showed the importance of managing one's psychology, maintaining optimism, and embracing creativity in challenging times.
The Vision for the Future of Airbnb
The future of Airbnb lies in shifting the focus from spaces to people and building a global travel community. The goal is to create a robust identity system that fosters trust and helps individuals connect with others who share their interests and values. By being the ultimate host, Airbnb aims to match and connect people, going beyond just travel. The vision is to push against the epidemic of loneliness in society and reinforce the belief in the fundamental goodness of people and the shared humanity that connects us all.
If you enjoyed hearing about the highs and lows of creating the world’s biggest brands, I recommend you listen to my conversation with Spotify founder, Daniel Ek, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_35cUaU_NA
Is being an artist the secret behind running a Fortune 500 company?
In this new episode Steven sits down again with the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky.
Brian created ‘Airbed and Breakfast’ in 2007 with his college friend Joe Gebbia as a scheme to pay their rent. Cut to 2020, when Airbnb became a public company, with its initial public offering reaching $100 billion, one of the highest in history. Brian has been named by Forbes as one of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40, and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People.
In this conversation Brian and Steven discuss topics, such as:
His difficult childhood
Always feeling like an outsider and different
How his art teacher changed his life
The way industrial design shaped his career as a CEO
