ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What happens to a travel company in the midst of a global lockdown? “It felt like it took 12 years (..) to build this business, and we lost most of it in four to five weeks,” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt in this week’s Leadership Next. Chesky goes on to describe the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic as “harrowing and nerve racking,” complete with large layoffs and a push to refocus the business. He outlines in detail how he made tough decisions during this time, and how he strove to take care of guests, hosts, employees and investors. Alan and Ellen also ask Chesky how Airbnb is responding to racial discrimination on the platform, and when the company plans to go public.
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