Airbnb

Amazing, diverse, collaborative culture. Surrounded by very smart and highly skilled people who are constantly working hard to improve their craft. Most people check their ego at the door; everyone is helpful to one another with the common mission in mind.

Management is compassionate, caring, and clear on expectations. Employees feel supported with the right tools and resources, and are very well-compensated for their hard work. Total compensation is on-par or better than FAANG in many cases.

The company is at the intersection of travel and the sharing economy, with a focus on the mostly traditional idea of travel lodging. While the travel industry is on the rebound from the pandemic, the long-term future of the model is not without uncertainty and risk. There is lots of competition, and the idea is not unique and can be replicated by competitors.

Airbnb was one of the first companies in the mobile boom to succeed in the new share-economy revolution, alongside Uber and others. For me, and many, it is a share-economy company first and a travel company second. As Uber and others have diversified beyond just ride-sharing, Airbnb should also diversify its products and services beyond home-sharing purely for travel. It should look into other space-sharing such as: office workspace, personal storage, RVs, and automobile sharing.

Airbnb has the infrastructure and know-how to be successful in the share-economy space and be less dependent on travel to avoid another COVID-induced downturn in the future.