Rebuilding Airbnb: How a Tech Overhaul Unlocks New Businesses

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s plan to revamp the business resembles more of a technical gut renovation than a cosmetic remodel, according to comments he made at the Skift Global Forum this week.

The return of experiences, an infusion of services, and the debut of a customer service bot are the most visible updates, but they’re not just superficial changes. They are the products of a tech transformation that goes back five years. The platform, first built as a place to rent beds, had to be rewritten to claw back what was lost due to Covid-19 and support what would come next.

The pandemic “basically cut the company almost in half,” explained Chesky.

“We did a massive layoff. We had to foc