Many founders and investors initially dismissed the ideas behind Airbnb, Coinbase, and Stripe as poor or overly ambitious, underestimating their potential.

As young founders, our naivety allowed us to explore ideas without preconceived notions, leading us to discover the unique experience that Airbnb could offer. When we started Airbnb, we were in a very different position compared to Uber; the founders of Uber were already wealthy, while we were just trying to survive.

Many people said Airbnb was "the worst idea that ever worked," yet it succeeded, highlighting that unconventional ideas can thrive.

The founders of most successful startups often don't realize early on how big they're going to get; they work on something they themselves want and hope that many others will want it too.

The most successful startup ideas often sound counterintuitive or bad at first, like Airbnb or Dropbox, which faced skepticism but ultimately succeeded due to unique insights.

As founders, we often have amazing ideas and plans, but when things don't work out, it doesn't mean we failed; it just means the outcome was different than expected.

The idea for Airbnb originated when my co-founders, Joe and Brian, decided to rent out their apartment to designers attending a conference, leading to the realization of a larger opportunity.

After our initial launch, we didn't see immediate success and even explored creating a roommate matching website before pivoting back to Airbnb.

Many founders believe their company will succeed, but those whose companies don't often iterate tirelessly until they find success, becoming unsung heroes.