# Airbnb: Joe Gebbia (2017)

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2017-08-28
- Length: 42m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017

## Summary

Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, explains how a rent hike and a design conference led to a side hustle that evolved into a global platform. He details the 'Visa round' of maxed-out credit cards, the failed SXSW launch, and the breakthrough 'Obama O's' cereal stunt that secured Y Combinator acceptance. Gebbia describes the critical pivot from coding to 'doing things that don't scale,' specifically flying to New York to take professional photos and redesign the user interface based on direct host feedback.

## Chapters

- [0:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017#t=57) Introduction: Joe Gebbia and the Airbnb Origin Story
- [3:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017#t=192) The Rent Hike and the First Airbed Experiment
- [7:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017#t=437) Building airbedandbreakfast.com for SXSW
- [12:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017#t=725) The SXSW Failure and the DNC Breakthrough
- [16:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017#t=976) The Visa Round and Zero Investor Interest
- [20:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017#t=1258) Selling Obama O's Cereal to Fund the Company
- [26:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017#t=1614) Y Combinator and Paul Graham's Advice
- [29:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017#t=1741) Flying to New York to Take Photos and Redesign
- [34:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017#t=2064) Finding Product-Market Fit and Sequoia Funding
- [35:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017#t=2154) Regulation, Innovation, and Future Challenges

## 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)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Airbnb (company)
- Joe Gebbia (other)
- Brian Chesky (other)
- Nate Blecharczyk (other)
- Y Combinator (company)
- Paul Graham (other)
- Sequoia Capital (company)
- Obama O's (product)
- McCain O's (product)
- Crit Buns (product)
- TP Foam (company)
- Michael Vennitti (other)

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- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 11 - Marco Perry and Mark Prommel of Pensa (11/12)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-12-afterschool-podcast-episode-11-marco-perry-and-mark-prommel-of-pensa-11-12) (Core77 Podcast)
- [Keenan Wyrobek (Co-founder/CTO, Zipline)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-07-29-keenan-wyrobek-co-founder-cto-zipline) (Just Gonna Send It)
- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 1 - Rich Brilliant Willing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-08-19-afterschool-podcast-episode-1-rich-brilliant-willing) (Core77 Podcast)
- [#024 - How to increase your own productivity and that of your garden’s, with Mattias Lepp of Click & Grow, Estonia](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-05-03-024-how-to-increase-your-own-productivity-and-that-of-your-gardens-with-mattias) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-28-airbnb-joe-gebbia-2017. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.