# Airbnb: Joe Gebbia

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2016-10-17
- Length: 41m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-17-airbnb-joe-gebbia

## Summary

Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, recounts the company's origin story, starting from a rent hike in San Francisco that led to the 'Airbed & Breakfast' experiment during a design conference. After failing to secure venture capital due to investor skepticism about strangers sharing homes, Gebbia and co-founder Brian Chesky pivoted to selling politically themed breakfast cereal ('Obama O's' and 'McCain O's') to raise $30,000 and prove their hustle to Y Combinator. Once accepted into Y Combinator, they learned to 'do things that don't scale' by flying to New York to take professional photos of listings themselves, which doubled their revenue and revealed critical UX flaws, ultimately leading to product-market fit and Series A funding from Sequoia Capital.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-17-airbnb-joe-gebbia#t=0) Introduction: Joe Gebbia and Airbnb
- [2:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-17-airbnb-joe-gebbia#t=159) The Rent Hike and First Guests
- [10:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-17-airbnb-joe-gebbia#t=648) SXSW Launch and Early Failures
- [14:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-17-airbnb-joe-gebbia#t=888) The DNC Spike and Investor Rejection
- [22:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-17-airbnb-joe-gebbia#t=1326) Selling Breakfast Cereal to Survive
- [28:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-17-airbnb-joe-gebbia#t=1682) Y Combinator and the 'Do Things That Don't Scale' Lesson
- [31:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-17-airbnb-joe-gebbia#t=1873) Photography, UX Fixes, and Product-Market Fit
- [36:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-17-airbnb-joe-gebbia#t=2203) Scaling, Regulation, and Reflection

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Airbnb (company)
- Airbed and Breakfast (product)
- Y Combinator (company)
- Sequoia Capital (company)
- Obama O's (product)
- McCain O's (product)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- Kellogg (company)
- General Mills (company)
- CNN (company)
- South by Southwest (other)
- Crit Buns (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [CES 2019 Special: Stas Gayshan, CIC-Boston](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-16-ces-2019-special-stas-gayshan-cic-boston) (EE Times Current)
- [Oddball's Path From Idea to Funding a Nationwide Target Launch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-07-11-oddballs-path-from-idea-to-funding-a-nationwide-target-launch) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder + Funder: Anabel González, Founder of Good Bacteria and Hayden Williams, Partner of BrandProject](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-05-09-founder-funder-anabel-gonzalez-founder-of-good-bacteria-and-hayden-williams-part) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder + Funder: Fundraising, Founder-Investor Fit, and Building the Next Big Breakfast Brand with Emily Groden of Evergreen and Brian Bernstein of Rich Products Ventures](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-20-founder-funder-fundraising-founder-investor-fit-and-building-the-next-big-breakf) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Fundraising Journey: Victor Guardiola, Bawi](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-08-01-founder-fundraising-journey-victor-guardiola-bawi) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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