It all started with a box of cereal. Well, that’s not exactly the beginning, but when Brian Chesky and his roommates had maxed out their credit cards while starting up what would become Airbnb, they had a crazy idea to continue funding the company by designing and selling limited-edition cereal boxes during the 2008 presidential election, and call them Obama O’s & Captain McCain.
Now, 12 years later Airbnb just made its initial public offering—IPO—on the Nasdaq on December 10th, and what a ride it’s been. In this interview we speak with Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky, and learn how being a designer has influenced the arc of his journey, leading a company from a 3-person startup to a public company. We talk about what it’s like to design for trust during a pandemic, and the power of having a clear company mission that all can align to.
If— like some of our colleagues— you’re living in or working from an Airbnb right now, or have taken your family on a holiday made possible by them, we hope Brian’s story will be especially inspirational. As always, thanks for listening, and enjoy the show.
Takeaways:
Learn how Airbnb designs with a mission of belonging, to counteract the loneliness so common in our digital-first era. Hear why Airbnb organizes their teams by customer journey Learn about Project Lighthouse, Airbnb’s effort to combat discrimination.
Bonus: AI and the Creative Process
Ben Clymer: Hodinkee founder on watch design and creating a compelling content brand
Natsai Audrey Chieza: Designing with biology
Pablo Stanley: A creative force of nature on the importance persistence and hustle
Tasha Golden: Avoiding burnout while pursuing creativity with passion
Jonathan Adler: Famed potter and designer on bringing creativity into all aspects of life
Making Design Better—better—with weekly episodes, an enhanced newsletter, and more
Brian Tyler, composer for Yellowstone, Crazy Rich Asians, Mario Brothers, and more, on his creative process
Bonus: Eric Snowden, Head of Adobe Design, on AI + Design
Kate Aronowitz: Shaping the story of design in business
Ellen Lupton: Thinking With Type
Jonathan Hoefler: Typography legend on type history, philosophy, and entrepreneurship
Bonus: Hamish Smyth of Standards
Bonus: Hiroki Asai, Global Head of Marketing at Airbnb
Vanessa Gennarelli: Surviving Change at Work
Scott Rice: Creative lessons learned teaching film with Matthew McConaughey
Autumn Durald Arkapaw: Cinematographer for Wakanda Forever and Loki on the overlap between design and photography
Rewind: Midcentury modern design principles and Heath Ceramics
Barry Katz: The history and philosophy of design in Silicon Valley and beyond
Bonus Episode: Dorrian Porter, CEO of Vestaboard
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