Joe Gebbia, Airbnb

For this episode, we toe the line of hospitality a bit with a chat with entrepreneur and cofounder of Airbnb Joe Gebbia. There’s no question that what he’s built with partner Brian Chesky has been among the most major paradigm shifts in the travel industry since its inception. Hatching the lucrative idea out of personal necessity in 2007, when he was just in his mid 20s, the start-up has only accelerated and expanded into much more than an online booking service in the years since, and today the brand is, quite literally, a household name. Our conversation with this brilliant mind spans the first idea he ever tried to sell (Hint: it’s a cushion), how he recruited his cofounders at the onset of the Great Recession, his love for air beds, and how Airbnb is evolving to better serve the future. Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.