Great job ... Reid let him go, and to Brian's credit, he did a fantastic job staying on topic and thoroughly answering the questions without getting to wordy and repeating himself.
This is the best startup talk I've ever watched. Brian is a wealth of knowledge and an amazing story teller. Reid is a very patient interviewer that let's his hosts talk. Thanks for the priceless insights.
@@HtheKing its virality ppl now say "yo u wanna get an airbnb?" to party or getaway to the lake or travel to a foreign country. its for the consumer ppl and the landlord wannabes
Reid himself possesses a river of startup knowledge but It's really amazing to see how carefully he is listening to Brian like he's also learning like rest of the class. Cheers to you Mr. Hoffman ✨
@@AdamTradesOfficial Good planning and discipline are skills. Usually easier to learn coming from a background with stability, social- and economic capital, and if you have access to good healthcare. Harder if you come from a poor and/or chaotic background (parents/neighbourhood/country). You can seldom plan or discipline yourself out of bad health by the way, eating well and excersize is good (and is easier if you have education, capital, and health from the start), but it's hard to plan and discpline yourself out of getting cancer, getting hit by a drunk driver, strokes, and so on...
@@tpeterson9140 they made capital on the fly. They educated themselves as they needed it. Health.. you can pay for that, but yeah, that can hit you from the side. However that is the exception, not the rule, so don't make that excuse unless it's the honest truth. And even then, it's no excuse. Find a way that works for you.
@@assaulth3ro911 Fuckin'-A RIGHT!! Bravo! Bop n Weave, Hit n Move, Pivot, you can play the "yeah but" or "what if" game until your blue in the face, but end of day... keep going, keep getting up, keep going until 3 or more people physically stop you(this joking peeps). @xilence Well said!
Introduction and Overview - 00:00:00 Story of Airbnb: The Early Days - 00:00:37 Airbeds and Breakfast: The Origin of the Name - 00:04:54 Early Struggles and Pivots - 00:07:04 Raising Funds and Facing Rejections - 00:12:14 Turning Point: Joining Y Combinator - 00:19:06 Doing Things That Don’t Scale - 00:22:16 The Importance of Creating 100 True Fans - 00:23:24 Launching in New Cities and Creating Network Effects - 00:26:43 Unique Challenges: International Competition - 00:31:45 Seven-Star Design Concept - 00:30:45 Building and Scaling Company Culture - 00:39:05 Navigating Government Relations and Regulations - 01:07:59 Learning and Adaptability in Leadership - 01:24:50 Recent Challenges and Terrorist Attacks in Paris - 01:24:20 Final Thoughts on Scaling and New Product Development - 01:35:30
I have literally gathered 6 pages of notes from this session. what an incredible learning experience! Gained a lot of new insights. Absolutely Loved it!
Love this video. Brian is such an authentic entrepreneur who has now become one of the world’s most impactful CEOs. Reid did a great job interviewing Brian and an even better job investing and coaching Brian.
This talk contains so many insights that I gave up taking notes and soaked it all in and bookmarked it. I will rewatch again and again until I squeezed out every drop of insight from this talk. Brian Chesky is awesome!
@@bks5493 As the Owners make more money renting out their apartments like hotel rooms they make more money as with normal rent so more people opt to that choice the ones rented long term also drive their price up to make a similar amount that’s the general theory
It really is a blessing that Reid Hoffman and the others (John, Allen, and Chris) are the interviewers and are able to flow these interviews wonderfully. Usually, interviewers that are held by people of the same class of achievements tend to let their ego fill in the space of the interviews, causing frictions. No hate on this podcast, but "This Week in Startups" (TWIS) is almost a perfect example of this, though I do very much enjoy the podcast. Anyway, I just appreciate Mr. Hoffman for letting the guest give their 2 cents in a very welcoming way. All entrepreneurs have their own stories and drive they just want to share, Thank you for sharing this class.
Brian Chesky is the best entrepreneur, mentor, and product-focused person in the community of entrepreneurs, that I've never met. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
This guy is the reason I bought Airbnb Stock and won't let it go even if the price tanks for some time. I have 100% faith in him and his ability to grow the company bigger and bigger and bigger
This is, as many others in the Blitzscaling series, one of the best talks I have seen. The way which Reid collaborates (also seeing in John Lilly's behavior) is just amazing. These folks are collaborating indeed and are after looking at scalability as a art and also as theory.
What a great mindset Brian has regarding being unemployed! However, his perspective as an entrepreneur is truly inspiring. That's an incredible growth mindset, and it's profound.
This is the best interview to watch to learn how to redesign everything in a start-up. Never earned so much about culture before this. Brian is such an amazing storyteller.
There've been websites like Airbnb before Airbnb, I've used them in Europe, but I think for these guys starting in the US, getting the support, network and inspiration from Silicon Valley, and also the qualities of the founders made it a success.
This was a great interview and loved learning about his journey. I completely agree that you must become a life long learner because the moment you start thinking you know everything you limit your growth and can't see past what you know
Kept rewinding this to really absorb all of this. This is one of the most insightful and inspiring talks about start-ups and business I've heard. Hearing the stories and lessons from people like this gives us a glimpse into their perspective on our own lives, and helps us think about things in new ways. Thank you!
Our home, Magnificent Osborne in Sydney Australia, has been the greatest gift we could ever give and share. Being able to 'walk others' through the mindset of letting go possessions; as it is your heart, life and neighbourhood you share.
To folks, who see the other guy like a host from the college, but in reality he is Reid Hoffman, a great entrepreneur and investor. It is remarkable how is taking the conversation forward and also not interrupting like many trained hosts.
Seeing this during quarantine and all I can think about is how to stop Brian from touching his face again and again :P What an amazing talk! You can clearly see the difference between a good CEO and great CEO.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:32 *🌱 Brian Chesky's Background and Early Influences* - Chesky's background as an artist and his education at the Rhode Island School of Design. - Influence of RISD in fostering a mindset of world-changing creativity. - Meeting co-founder Joe Gebbia and the impulsive decision to start a company. 05:00 *🏠 Inception of Airbnb: From Air Beds to the Big Idea* - The origin story of Airbnb starting from the idea of providing accommodation for a design conference. - Transformation of the initial concept from air beds to booking someone's home worldwide. - Exploration of different ideas before settling on Airbnb's core concept. 09:19 *💡 Lessons Learned: Ideas, Problem Solving, and Mindset* - Insight into how good ideas often sound unconventional and are initially dismissed. - The importance of solving your own problems and addressing nuisances rather than grand, life-changing issues. - The significance of mindset in differentiating between being unemployed and being an entrepreneur. 12:19 *🚀 Scaling Challenges and Product Development* - Iterative product development process, including multiple launches and pivots. - Design principles behind creating a user-friendly, three-click booking system. - Financial challenges faced, including reliance on credit card debt for funding and struggles with investors. 15:14 *📰 Marketing Strategy: Press Coverage and Grassroots Efforts* - The strategy of leveraging press coverage to overcome the "chicken and egg" problem in Airbnb's early days. - Grassroots marketing tactics, starting from blogger outreach to eventually gaining attention from major media outlets. - Utilization of high-profile events like the Democratic National Convention to gain traction and visibility. 16:40 *🛌 Airbnb's Humble Beginnings* - Brian Chesky recounts the challenging early days of Airbnb. - Facing debt, lack of investors, and minimal customers, they brainstormed unconventional ideas like selling breakfast cereal. - Their humorous attempt at selling presidential-themed cereal, Obama Oh's and Capt'n McCain's, became a pivotal moment in funding the company. 20:01 *🚀 Y Combinator Intervention* - Despite initial skepticism, Paul Graham's unconventional feedback led to pivotal insights. - Chesky's experience of being likened to a "cockroach" by Graham became a symbol of resilience. - Y Combinator provided the structure and advice needed to shift focus and achieve breakthroughs. 21:26 *📈 Achieving Focus and Customer Love* - Y Combinatorfacilitated a dedicated work structure, eliminating distractions and focusing on the startup. - Chesky highlights Paul Graham's advice on prioritizing customer love over sheer numbers. - "Do things that don't scale" became a mantra, emphasizing the importance of personal connection and quality over quantity. 25:19 *💡 Navigating Financial Challenges* - Facing uncertainty and investor skepticism, Chesky and his team focused on achieving "Ramen profitability". - Sequoia Capital's investment marked a turning point, providing validation and resources for growth. - The journey from struggling to profitable underscored the importance of resilience and adaptability in startup success. 27:14 *🌍 Scaling Through Network Effects* - Leveraging events, PR, and word-of-mouth, Airbnb expanded its network beyond New York to global cities. - Personalized interactions with hosts, one-on-one meetups, and community engagement fueled organic growth. - Chesky emphasizes the importance of doing things that don't scale initially to build a strong foundation for growth. 33:09 *🌟 Exceeding Customer Expectations* - Exceeding customer expectations leads to exceptional experiences. - Building loyalty requires going beyond what customers expect. - Creating memorable moments fosters strong customer relationships. 35:13 *🏠 Airbnb's Product Definition* - The product is not just the website or the app; it encompasses the entire customer experience. - Airbnb focuses on the online-to-offline aspect of its business model. - Storyboarding the customer experience helps in designing both online and offline aspects effectively. 37:13 *🎨 Designing Company Culture* - Design extends beyond products to include company culture and organization. - Designing culture involves creating shared beliefs and ways of doing things. - Airbnb emphasizes a founder-like culture where passion and mission alignment are paramount. 42:06 *🏡 Living Airbnb's Experience* - Brian Chesky's year-long experience living in Airbnb rentals was driven by a need to deeply understand the product. - Immersing in the product builds passion and belief in the company's mission. - Airbnb promotes a culture where employees are encouraged to use and understand the product firsthand. 45:40 *🤝 Building a Strong Company Culture* - A strong company culture is characterized by shared values and beliefs. - Hiring plays a crucial role in shaping company culture. - Consistent reinforcement of core values through various channels is essential for maintaining a strong culture. 50:57 *🏰 Designing Company Culture* - Designing company culture is crucial for success. - Cultures should be intentionally crafted rather than left to develop organically. - Focusing on a few key cultural norms fosters a sense of community and peer accountability. 52:26 *💼 Challenges of Scaling* - Hiring and managing people become paramount as a company scales. - Shifting from building a product to building a company requires a focus on vision, hiring, and management. - Transitioning from intuition-driven decisions to data-informed ones is essential. 56:23 *🌍 International Expansion and Competition* - Scaling internationally changes the competitive landscape. - Competitors pose existential threats, requiring strategic responses. - Building a strong community and product can be decisive in overcoming competitive challenges. 01:26:39 *🚀 Brian Chesky's journey from designer to entrepreneur* - Transitioning from a designer to an entrepreneur involves recognizing inherent entrepreneurial tendencies, often visible in past projects or initiatives. - Chesky emphasizes the importance of taking action and starting something immediately, without necessarily having a clear roadmap. - Real-life experiences, such as creating clubs or projects, contribute significantly to entrepreneurial development. 01:28:41 *💡 Maintaining conviction and resilience during tough times* - Chesky discusses the necessity of resilience and conviction for entrepreneurial success, citing insights from Steve Jobs. - Deep passion for the project is crucial for overcoming challenges and maintaining belief in its potential. - Personal experiences and witnessing the positive impact of the idea firsthand contribute to building conviction and determination. 01:31:41 *📈 Developing conviction and navigating challenges* - Conviction evolves over time through repeated discussions, exploration, and real-life experiences related to the project. - Chesky shares insights into his journey with Air Bed and Breakfast, highlighting the importance of mental models and recognizing market-making opportunities. - Building conviction is essential for leadership, as it inspires trust and confidence among team members.
I wonder how many people actually don't know the guy interviewing Brian Chesky, because he is a Billionaire as well and co-founded a "platform" just like Brian did.
Oh man, I have watched it twice in a single day, that's how much i loved it but how is Brian surviving these covid times given he keeps touching his face !!
A lot of respect to this man! Their story is worth reading, eating cereals just to survive. The struggle they went through is a great foundation to persevere as a start-up. :)
Remember Peter Thiel Saying "the last mover always seems to be the one that pockets the most in the end"? Check How Reed reiterated about his SocialNet in late 90s, again reminding us of that the idea that Brian was conceiving with his friends is just something not new under the sun. They instead made it happen and ensured that it serves the problems they were encountering right there on the sport... I believe this is how great companies are start, not through Lean Startup. Peter Thiel is a Genius...
Green is Beautiful lean startup is a method, which the basic principles are vital. However, it was written in 2010 a lot has changed all that matters is stay lean and iterate fast. Get to market fit as soon as possible....
Pretty much this guy has collected profound knowledge from really smart guys like Steve Jobs and the book of “Start with Why” - and the usage of that knowledge in a practical way, got him the Airbnb and its success.
I love how he describes the product as being the user experience. Whereas Facebook's product is the actual user and their data, which is toxic, but AirBnB's model is a positive one.
Damn, he really is a good storyteller. He doesn't even need to ever program/code, he's a literal computer. His processing speed and output is vanward. I suspect he has an eidetic memory. The tale of these Samwer brothers is interesting.
20:58 What was the thing that you did, or the couple of things that you did to change the inflection? - There were two -- is this still on? - Yeah. - There were two things. The first thing was Y Combinator did was, it basically created a structure for us to work on it full time, and live together. So in other words, we were all kind of working on it, but it was like everyone had other things going on in their life.
Good, he focuses very granuarly on each and every aspect of the user journey. That is where the opportunity lies for great service & product experience! Being Designer means to design or reinvent things around you to improve things by micro or macro.
Now it's actually about 5-7 clicks to actually "book" a stay -- but that's still pretty damn user-friendly. AirBnB is such an awesome model and service. I've used it with great success as a guest and one day hope to become a host as well.
Before originally reading about AIRBNB i was working on/considering a similar project named urbnb/urbandb. ("you-are-b'n'b). I ve got the dated files to prove it. Thats nearly identical spelling except with a u instead of ai. Unfortunately the name had been taken by a smallsingle unit bed and breakfast out of san francisco. I'm curious to know whether theyve ever heard of it (?) Then again maybe its best I just forget about it. I'm a tad executivephobic .
There was probably thousands of people with idea - the difference is one team worked their ass off to bring it to life. If you have any other ideas work on bringing it to life. Good luck 👌💪 you can do anything you want
Reid Hoffman, if you’re reading this, thank you for not interrupting him and let him speak.
Great job ... Reid let him go, and to Brian's credit, he did a fantastic job staying on topic and thoroughly answering the questions without getting to wordy and repeating himself.
from here we can see that Reid himself have respect to this man, and wanna listen more than speak.
YES! Thank you, Reíd!
this. Thank you Reid!
This is the best billionaire storyteller I've listened to, he's got my attention in the palm of his hands. Brilliant
@Sergio Nieto Wat
@Sergio Nieto wat
yup, he's captivating
@Sergio Nieto boohoo muh sad immigrant story.
@Sergio Nieto no one asked
notice how much he says "we" and "our".
sign of a great leader
Dude isn't narcissistic.
Yeah unlike a Sam Altman where everything is "me" and "i"
This is the best startup talk I've ever watched. Brian is a wealth of knowledge and an amazing story teller. Reid is a very patient interviewer that let's his hosts talk. Thanks for the priceless insights.
I was going to comment the same the same thing!
Let’s?
@@blackjackool who asked fr !!
I LOVE that this guy is not a programmer, he's into art which is close, he's creative. But he is not an engineer. LOVE THIS STORY
wait... so he didnt code airbnb?
@@ラッセル9728AirBnB wouldnt be a particularly hard service to code. Besides, the genius of AirBnB does not reside in its software implementation.
@@skateboarderlucc what would you say the genius in Airbnb lies then? Would you say how it's overall idea and how it makes travel accessible?
@@HtheKing its virality ppl now say "yo u wanna get an airbnb?" to party or getaway to the lake or travel to a foreign country. its for the consumer ppl and the landlord wannabes
@@HtheKing It's like uber for renting a place.
It connects people with rooms available to people that need a room at will.
Shit! This is worth more than I could possibly put into words. Almost 10 years later after this talk and it's more RELEVANT than EVER!!! CRAP!
This dude really said bless you in the middle of the beginning of his story. Legend.
@Katie Ellen Tu Very constructive. Well done.
Care to elaborate though? Or is it just a cheap bait?
Reid himself possesses a river of startup knowledge but It's really amazing to see how carefully he is listening to Brian like he's also learning like rest of the class. Cheers to you Mr. Hoffman ✨
I reckon a movie like The Social Network but based on Brian and airbnb would be awesome! Anyone agree?
I completely agree.
Lol that's true but what does that have to do with anything?
naw would be boring if there's no drama
I think a more high octane business version about ofixu.com could be more interesting th-cam.com/video/M6GBqqk2mY4/w-d-xo.html
@@charlech so you think that isis incident isnt dramatic?
So many great lines: the difference between entrepreneur and unemployed is mindset.
not rly u also need an education, capital and health.
@@tpeterson9140 all of which can be acquired with good planning and discipline
@@AdamTradesOfficial Good planning and discipline are skills. Usually easier to learn coming from a background with stability, social- and economic capital, and if you have access to good healthcare. Harder if you come from a poor and/or chaotic background (parents/neighbourhood/country). You can seldom plan or discipline yourself out of bad health by the way, eating well and excersize is good (and is easier if you have education, capital, and health from the start), but it's hard to plan and discpline yourself out of getting cancer, getting hit by a drunk driver, strokes, and so on...
@@tpeterson9140 they made capital on the fly. They educated themselves as they needed it.
Health.. you can pay for that, but yeah, that can hit you from the side. However that is the exception, not the rule, so don't make that excuse unless it's the honest truth.
And even then, it's no excuse. Find a way that works for you.
@@assaulth3ro911 Fuckin'-A RIGHT!! Bravo! Bop n Weave, Hit n Move, Pivot, you can play the "yeah but" or "what if" game until your blue in the face, but end of day... keep going, keep getting up, keep going until 3 or more people physically stop you(this joking peeps).
@xilence Well said!
Introduction and Overview - 00:00:00
Story of Airbnb: The Early Days - 00:00:37
Airbeds and Breakfast: The Origin of the Name - 00:04:54
Early Struggles and Pivots - 00:07:04
Raising Funds and Facing Rejections - 00:12:14
Turning Point: Joining Y Combinator - 00:19:06
Doing Things That Don’t Scale - 00:22:16
The Importance of Creating 100 True Fans - 00:23:24
Launching in New Cities and Creating Network Effects - 00:26:43
Unique Challenges: International Competition - 00:31:45
Seven-Star Design Concept - 00:30:45
Building and Scaling Company Culture - 00:39:05
Navigating Government Relations and Regulations - 01:07:59
Learning and Adaptability in Leadership - 01:24:50
Recent Challenges and Terrorist Attacks in Paris - 01:24:20
Final Thoughts on Scaling and New Product Development - 01:35:30
I have literally gathered 6 pages of notes from this session. what an incredible learning experience! Gained a lot of new insights. Absolutely Loved it!
Love this video. Brian is such an authentic entrepreneur who has now become one of the world’s most impactful CEOs. Reid did a great job interviewing Brian and an even better job investing and coaching Brian.
This talk contains so many insights that I gave up taking notes and soaked it all in and bookmarked it. I will rewatch again and again until I squeezed out every drop of insight from this talk. Brian Chesky is awesome!
What a pleasure to have an interviewer who let the guest speak and don't seeks atention! Hard to find
This is one of the best talks I have seen..
airbnb is devastating all the cities of the world, forcing thousands of people to sleep on the streets, due the rents increases caused by Airbnb.
@@francescotabanelli5461 how is it increasing rent
@@bks5493 As the Owners make more money renting out their apartments like hotel rooms they make more money as with normal rent so more people opt to that choice the ones rented long term also drive their price up to make a similar amount that’s the general theory
Awesome video! Brian Chesky does a great job at conveying his thoughts and principals while simultaneously coming across with genuine delivery.
It really is a blessing that Reid Hoffman and the others (John, Allen, and Chris) are the interviewers and are able to flow these interviews wonderfully. Usually, interviewers that are held by people of the same class of achievements tend to let their ego fill in the space of the interviews, causing frictions. No hate on this podcast, but "This Week in Startups" (TWIS) is almost a perfect example of this, though I do very much enjoy the podcast. Anyway, I just appreciate Mr. Hoffman for letting the guest give their 2 cents in a very welcoming way. All entrepreneurs have their own stories and drive they just want to share, Thank you for sharing this class.
Brian Chesky is the best entrepreneur, mentor, and product-focused person in the community of entrepreneurs, that I've never met. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
This was amazing storytelling, felt like I was right there building the company with him
This guy is the reason I bought Airbnb Stock and won't let it go even if the price tanks for some time. I have 100% faith in him and his ability to grow the company bigger and bigger and bigger
i think is the best video from the series
This is, as many others in the Blitzscaling series, one of the best talks I have seen. The way which Reid collaborates (also seeing in John Lilly's behavior) is just amazing. These folks are collaborating indeed and are after looking at scalability as a art and also as theory.
Truly the best interviewer ever extremely respectful and his questions are spot on!!!!!!!!!
You can’t help but admire Chesky’s leadership skills and audacity.
What a great mindset Brian has regarding being unemployed! However, his perspective as an entrepreneur is truly inspiring. That's an incredible growth mindset, and it's profound.
This is the best interview to watch to learn how to redesign everything in a start-up. Never earned so much about culture before this. Brian is such an amazing storyteller.
There've been websites like Airbnb before Airbnb, I've used them in Europe, but I think for these guys starting in the US, getting the support, network and inspiration from Silicon Valley, and also the qualities of the founders made it a success.
C'est surtout dans la vision que le tout c'est jouer il l'on conçu comme un reseau social avec une forte communauté de passionnés.
Every time I rehear this story, gives me new inspiration!! So amazing interview and sharing~
This was a great interview and loved learning about his journey. I completely agree that you must become a life long learner because the moment you start thinking you know everything you limit your growth and can't see past what you know
Kept rewinding this to really absorb all of this. This is one of the most insightful and inspiring talks about start-ups and business I've heard. Hearing the stories and lessons from people like this gives us a glimpse into their perspective on our own lives, and helps us think about things in new ways. Thank you!
Our home, Magnificent Osborne in Sydney Australia, has been the greatest gift we could ever give and share. Being able to 'walk others' through the mindset of letting go possessions; as it is your heart, life and neighbourhood you share.
Someone in 2024??
😊
☝🏻
Me 🎉
We all come back from time to time
😊
Brian Chesky is my favorite most underrated CEO. Love the guy
To folks, who see the other guy like a host from the college, but in reality he is Reid Hoffman, a great entrepreneur and investor. It is remarkable how is taking the conversation forward and also not interrupting like many trained hosts.
He is so likeable.
really...
facebook.com/airbnb.warning.depraved.evil/
Indeed I agree
@@airbnbwarning-dangerous-de8815 aaaaa a pas été fait pour le moment on a pas le droit
"Ramen profitability" liked that term.
This is the most amazing talk I've ever listened to and watched the entirety of.
Brian brings warm to my heart, happy to see his success :)
Very inspiring. Thank you Brian, Reid and Greylock!
Seeing this during quarantine and all I can think about is how to stop Brian from touching his face again and again :P
What an amazing talk! You can clearly see the difference between a good CEO and great CEO.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:32 *🌱 Brian Chesky's Background and Early Influences*
- Chesky's background as an artist and his education at the Rhode Island School of Design.
- Influence of RISD in fostering a mindset of world-changing creativity.
- Meeting co-founder Joe Gebbia and the impulsive decision to start a company.
05:00 *🏠 Inception of Airbnb: From Air Beds to the Big Idea*
- The origin story of Airbnb starting from the idea of providing accommodation for a design conference.
- Transformation of the initial concept from air beds to booking someone's home worldwide.
- Exploration of different ideas before settling on Airbnb's core concept.
09:19 *💡 Lessons Learned: Ideas, Problem Solving, and Mindset*
- Insight into how good ideas often sound unconventional and are initially dismissed.
- The importance of solving your own problems and addressing nuisances rather than grand, life-changing issues.
- The significance of mindset in differentiating between being unemployed and being an entrepreneur.
12:19 *🚀 Scaling Challenges and Product Development*
- Iterative product development process, including multiple launches and pivots.
- Design principles behind creating a user-friendly, three-click booking system.
- Financial challenges faced, including reliance on credit card debt for funding and struggles with investors.
15:14 *📰 Marketing Strategy: Press Coverage and Grassroots Efforts*
- The strategy of leveraging press coverage to overcome the "chicken and egg" problem in Airbnb's early days.
- Grassroots marketing tactics, starting from blogger outreach to eventually gaining attention from major media outlets.
- Utilization of high-profile events like the Democratic National Convention to gain traction and visibility.
16:40 *🛌 Airbnb's Humble Beginnings*
- Brian Chesky recounts the challenging early days of Airbnb.
- Facing debt, lack of investors, and minimal customers, they brainstormed unconventional ideas like selling breakfast cereal.
- Their humorous attempt at selling presidential-themed cereal, Obama Oh's and Capt'n McCain's, became a pivotal moment in funding the company.
20:01 *🚀 Y Combinator Intervention*
- Despite initial skepticism, Paul Graham's unconventional feedback led to pivotal insights.
- Chesky's experience of being likened to a "cockroach" by Graham became a symbol of resilience.
- Y Combinator provided the structure and advice needed to shift focus and achieve breakthroughs.
21:26 *📈 Achieving Focus and Customer Love*
- Y Combinatorfacilitated a dedicated work structure, eliminating distractions and focusing on the startup.
- Chesky highlights Paul Graham's advice on prioritizing customer love over sheer numbers.
- "Do things that don't scale" became a mantra, emphasizing the importance of personal connection and quality over quantity.
25:19 *💡 Navigating Financial Challenges*
- Facing uncertainty and investor skepticism, Chesky and his team focused on achieving "Ramen profitability".
- Sequoia Capital's investment marked a turning point, providing validation and resources for growth.
- The journey from struggling to profitable underscored the importance of resilience and adaptability in startup success.
27:14 *🌍 Scaling Through Network Effects*
- Leveraging events, PR, and word-of-mouth, Airbnb expanded its network beyond New York to global cities.
- Personalized interactions with hosts, one-on-one meetups, and community engagement fueled organic growth.
- Chesky emphasizes the importance of doing things that don't scale initially to build a strong foundation for growth.
33:09 *🌟 Exceeding Customer Expectations*
- Exceeding customer expectations leads to exceptional experiences.
- Building loyalty requires going beyond what customers expect.
- Creating memorable moments fosters strong customer relationships.
35:13 *🏠 Airbnb's Product Definition*
- The product is not just the website or the app; it encompasses the entire customer experience.
- Airbnb focuses on the online-to-offline aspect of its business model.
- Storyboarding the customer experience helps in designing both online and offline aspects effectively.
37:13 *🎨 Designing Company Culture*
- Design extends beyond products to include company culture and organization.
- Designing culture involves creating shared beliefs and ways of doing things.
- Airbnb emphasizes a founder-like culture where passion and mission alignment are paramount.
42:06 *🏡 Living Airbnb's Experience*
- Brian Chesky's year-long experience living in Airbnb rentals was driven by a need to deeply understand the product.
- Immersing in the product builds passion and belief in the company's mission.
- Airbnb promotes a culture where employees are encouraged to use and understand the product firsthand.
45:40 *🤝 Building a Strong Company Culture*
- A strong company culture is characterized by shared values and beliefs.
- Hiring plays a crucial role in shaping company culture.
- Consistent reinforcement of core values through various channels is essential for maintaining a strong culture.
50:57 *🏰 Designing Company Culture*
- Designing company culture is crucial for success.
- Cultures should be intentionally crafted rather than left to develop organically.
- Focusing on a few key cultural norms fosters a sense of community and peer accountability.
52:26 *💼 Challenges of Scaling*
- Hiring and managing people become paramount as a company scales.
- Shifting from building a product to building a company requires a focus on vision, hiring, and management.
- Transitioning from intuition-driven decisions to data-informed ones is essential.
56:23 *🌍 International Expansion and Competition*
- Scaling internationally changes the competitive landscape.
- Competitors pose existential threats, requiring strategic responses.
- Building a strong community and product can be decisive in overcoming competitive challenges.
01:26:39 *🚀 Brian Chesky's journey from designer to entrepreneur*
- Transitioning from a designer to an entrepreneur involves recognizing inherent entrepreneurial tendencies, often visible in past projects or initiatives.
- Chesky emphasizes the importance of taking action and starting something immediately, without necessarily having a clear roadmap.
- Real-life experiences, such as creating clubs or projects, contribute significantly to entrepreneurial development.
01:28:41 *💡 Maintaining conviction and resilience during tough times*
- Chesky discusses the necessity of resilience and conviction for entrepreneurial success, citing insights from Steve Jobs.
- Deep passion for the project is crucial for overcoming challenges and maintaining belief in its potential.
- Personal experiences and witnessing the positive impact of the idea firsthand contribute to building conviction and determination.
01:31:41 *📈 Developing conviction and navigating challenges*
- Conviction evolves over time through repeated discussions, exploration, and real-life experiences related to the project.
- Chesky shares insights into his journey with Air Bed and Breakfast, highlighting the importance of mental models and recognizing market-making opportunities.
- Building conviction is essential for leadership, as it inspires trust and confidence among team members.
Thank you 🔥
Brian talked about the market being small soon I remembered the Peter Thiel speaking the same about small markets and monopoly
I love this so much! Life changing! Go Brian Chesky!!!!
I wonder how many people actually don't know the guy interviewing Brian Chesky, because he is a Billionaire as well and co-founded a "platform" just like Brian did.
Founder of LinkedIn & former PayPal executive VC
Brian's a great speaker and what he says in this talk is so captivating. Top talk
This amazing! Thank you Brian Chesky and Reid Hoffman.
Super valuable presentation by Brian Chesky!!
Oh man, I have watched it twice in a single day, that's how much i loved it but how is Brian surviving these covid times given he keeps touching his face !!
this is 5 years old
The density of useful info in this is amazing
Excellent, excellent, excellent! Than you Reid and Brian - the humility was lovely! Raza =)
This idea of trying to learn things properly from less sources but good quality sources is one which resonated with me a lot! Thanks Brian! Raza =)
A lot of respect to this man! Their story is worth reading, eating cereals just to survive. The struggle they went through is a great foundation to persevere as a start-up. :)
not an accident he was able survive & he’s now worth billions & his company is now worth 100 billion. Still has a punch able face.
37:58 literally reinvents the HR and management in 2024! He is a legend designer.
22:00 the advice of ‘do things that don’t scale’, ‘make 100 customers really love you’
29:50 after customers met them they’d get more engaged
Brian Chesky’s leadership at Airbnb has been remarkable.
This is a great talk. Don't understand who's downvoting this.
Thanks for sharing this! What an inspiring journey.
Remember Peter Thiel Saying "the last mover always seems to be the one that pockets the most in the end"?
Check How Reed reiterated about his SocialNet in late 90s, again reminding us of that the idea that Brian was conceiving with his friends is just something not new under the sun. They instead made it happen and ensured that it serves the problems they were encountering right there on the sport... I believe this is how great companies are start, not through Lean Startup.
Peter Thiel is a Genius...
Green is Beautiful lean startup is a method, which the basic principles are vital. However, it was written in 2010 a lot has changed all that matters is stay lean and iterate fast. Get to market fit as soon as possible....
He is not.
Pretty much this guy has collected profound knowledge from really smart guys like Steve Jobs and the book of “Start with Why” - and the usage of that knowledge in a practical way, got him the Airbnb and its success.
Thank You for this Brian!
I love how he describes the product as being the user experience. Whereas Facebook's product is the actual user and their data, which is toxic, but AirBnB's model is a positive one.
This was great. Learned SO much from this one video
Turnt all that struggle into a $50billion business before IPO. Amazing
$100B !
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01/04/2024 thanks TH-cam for Recomend me ... Any one here 24.
thank you for uploading this video!!! Students in Stanford are so lucky !!
Damn, he really is a good storyteller. He doesn't even need to ever program/code, he's a literal computer. His processing speed and output is vanward. I suspect he has an eidetic memory. The tale of these Samwer brothers is interesting.
Wow. That was an amazing video. The best video on business I have ever heard. I will be relistening on a loop. Thank you for this amazing content!
20:58
What was the thing that you did, or the couple of things that you did to change the inflection? - There were two -- is this still on? - Yeah. - There were two things. The first thing was Y Combinator did was, it basically created a structure for us to work on it full time, and live together. So in other words, we were all kind of working on it, but it was like everyone had other things going on in their life.
Thank you this was really inspirational and thought provoking indeed. All the very best, CEO Compare Education Costs Australia
Wow! What a great story. This makes me feel like anything is possible.
I love that video! Thank you so much Brian for sharing this intimate information with us, your fellow entrepreneurs (unemployed, lol)
Userful interview indeed. Reid Hoffman was right on point with solid questions.
Great lecture, thank you for sharing and thank you brian to have a great talk sincerely
Great interview. And your nemesis actually motivated your success by scaling up quickly. Send him a thank you
This is a MasterClass level video for free on TH-cam
This is amazing interview. Thank you bro
Does he talk about 'challenges of scale"? I skipped to spots all along and didn't hear it.
Good, he focuses very granuarly on each and every aspect of the user journey. That is where the opportunity lies for great service & product experience!
Being Designer means to design or reinvent things around you to improve things by micro or macro.
Excellent and most informative!
I agree, this is the worst idea to work. Congratulations to Brian on such a success!
30:55 The best customer experience lesson
To 35:24
one of the best video i have ever seen
This is better than a Hollywood blockbuster
really needed this
Can't believe this is free
Still a classic in 2021
such a Great Video... learnt so many things.... Thanks a ton for uploading..
what about couchsurf? I guess many users of airbnb are actually ex-users of couchsurf , like me (?)
couch surfing always seemed too sketchy to me. no quality control. but pre covid i was a huge fan of airbnb
Now it's actually about 5-7 clicks to actually "book" a stay -- but that's still pretty damn user-friendly. AirBnB is such an awesome model and service. I've used it with great success as a guest and one day hope to become a host as well.
This is really insightful. I’m saving it!
Air BnB ... is it for the guy that move to music or nothing change at all or?
Great and informative talk, really appreciate it, thanks!
arbnb insurance, arbnb entertainment, arbnb getaway, airbnb travel packages, arbnb luggage delivery...can go on
Before originally reading about AIRBNB i was working on/considering a similar project named urbnb/urbandb. ("you-are-b'n'b). I ve got the dated files to prove it. Thats nearly identical spelling except with a u instead of ai. Unfortunately the name had been taken by a smallsingle unit bed and breakfast out of san francisco. I'm curious to know whether theyve ever heard of it (?) Then again maybe its best I just forget about it. I'm a tad executivephobic .
There was probably thousands of people with idea - the difference is one team worked their ass off to bring it to life. If you have any other ideas work on bringing it to life. Good luck 👌💪 you can do anything you want
“Mom i’m a cockroach, i got in!” hilarious but says a lot
Hi everyone, Brian told about some company management book. I can't get exact title of that book. Someone can help me?
It's "High Output Management by Andrew Grove"
Thank you!
Damn this conversation is awesome.
Anyone young and junior watching this? That another guy with Brian is non other than LinkedIn Co founder. We love you Reid Hoffman ❤
Hey Brian. I started 420BNB in your honor.
See you soon
Hi Brian, is there any book or resources you can recommend on Phases 2 to 5?
Read Pimp by Iceberg Slim
A lot of gems here.