This book came together quickly and with a village of help, but there are two people without whom it would not exist. The first is Rick Wolff at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, to whom I am indebted for his passion for the project, his vision and skillful editing, and his patience. The second is Fortune editor and Time Inc. chief content officer Alan Murray, who immediately and generously agreed to give me the time needed to pursue this book even though Fortune did not have resources to spare. That Alan did not bat an eye shows his commitment to storytelling, and I am indebted to him for it.
I have long thought the Airbnb story was one waiting to be told, and I’m extremely grateful to Brian Chesky for trusting me to tell it and for opening the doors to his company to me. I’m thankful to Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk for the same and for sharing their perspectives. My deepest gratitude to Kim Rubey, who was a champion of this project from day one and who worked swiftly to make it happen, and to Maggie Carr for calmly and capably steering me through dozens of interviews and mountains (and mountains) of questions. My thanks also go to the rest of the Airbnb communications team, and to the Airbnb executives and employees who spent time with me. (Thanks, too, to the company and to Jonathan Mann for permission to reprint lyrics from the “Obama O’s” jingle.)
Thanks to Melissa Flashman at Trident Media Group for her enthusiasm and expert guidance, and to Lew Korman for his wise counsel. I’m grateful to the talented and supportive team at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Rosemary McGuinness, Debbie Engel, Emily Andrukaitis, Loren Isenberg, Megan Wilson, and to the grace and patience of Rachael DeShano, Kelly Dubeau Smydra, and Tammy Zambo. Special thanks go to Jamie Joseph of Virgin Books for his keen interest in the project.
I am indebted to Nicole Pasulka, who contributed invaluable reporting help and counsel and then fact-checked the book on a super-tight timeframe as if it were her own. Deep thanks go to High Water Press, i.e., Brian Dumaine and Hank Gilman, for fast and skillful reads and edits, and to Jonathan Chew and Tracy Z. Maleef for their research. And special thanks to Mary Schein, who always makes everything easier.
I’m grateful to Clifton Leaf and my colleagues at Fortune who made do without me for a stretch—especially Mason Cohn and the talented and unflappable Megan Arnold, who kept Fortune Live humming (with critical hosting assists from Andrew Nusca, Aaron Task, and Anne VanderMey). Pattie Sellers, Nina Easton, Jennifer Reingold, Lisa Clucas, Elizabeth Busch, Michal Lev-Ram, Beth Kowitt, Leena Rao, Kristen Bellstrom, and Valentina Zarya held down the MPW fort, and Leena also steered the 40 Under 40. Additional thanks to Fortune colleagues including Adam Lashinsky, Brian O’Keefe, Nick Varchaver, Matt Heimer, Erin Griffith, Kia Kokolitcheva, Scott DeCarlo, Michael Joseloff, Kelly Champion, and Kerri Chyka.
Many others contributed help or guidance along the way: Bethany McLean, Doris Burke, John Brodie, Peter Kafka, Dan Primack, Joanne Gordon, Kate Kelly, Sarah Ellison, Rana Foroohar, Charles Duhigg, Alison Brower, Laura Brounstein, Todd Shuster, Rimjhim Dey, Dan Roberts, Deb Roth, Davidson Goldin, Verona Carter, Alice Marshall, Irina Woelfle, and April Roberts. Arun Sundararajan, Jason Clampet, Bill Hyers, Jessi Hempel, Will Silverman, Jana Rich, Scott Shatford, Jamie Lane, Maryam Banikarim, Sheila Riordan, Kathleen O’Neill, Raina Wallens, Kathleen Maher, and Bethany Lampland were all generous with their insight and perspectives. I’m grateful to Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman, Alfred Lin, Jeff Jordan, Paul Graham, Michael Seibel, Kevin Hartz, Sam Angus, Greg McAdoo, and others close to Airbnb for sharing their knowledge about the company. Deep thanks to Neil Carlson and Erin Carney and their Brooklyn Creative League for providing an inspiring and welcoming place to work.
And lastly, thanks to my family: to all the Kreiters, especially Gil, Noa, and Ava for putting up with my absences, and Zeb and Anna for always being interested. Thanks to Drew and Adrienne for their support from afar, and Jake and Rocky Gallagher for inspiring videos and general cuteness. Thanks to my parents, Jack and Joan Gallagher, for their support as always, and to the extended Gallagher and Pelizoto clans, especially Carl and Daryl. And to Gil, my deepest thanks go to you for providing perspective, support, and endless amounts of Blue Apron dinners and strong coffee. I owe you a really nice vacation, whether it’s in a fancy hotel or an Airbnb treehouse—you pick.