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.

We created a bed and breakfast for a design conference because we had no money for rent, leading to the birth of Airbnb.

Airbnb's founders initially launched the service to solve their own financial problem of making rent during a major conference in San Francisco.

A pivotal moment for Airbnb was realizing that hosts didn't need to be present for guests to rent an entire apartment, which expanded our business model significantly.

We launched Airbnb in New York, where the hosts were local but travelers came from all over the world, creating a unique network effect.

We realized that the original idea of airbeds for conferences could evolve into a broader concept of booking homes anywhere in the world.

The first guests at our Airbnb had a great experience, forming real relationships, which highlighted the potential of our platform to create connections between people.

I lived in Airbnb's for nearly a year out of necessity, which allowed me to deeply understand the product and its impact.

The initial idea for Airbnb was to enhance the entire travel experience, not just provide a place to stay, by considering services like airport pickups and breakfast. We always intended to understand the operation of Airbnb from the inside out, including the timing and logistics of photographing apartments.