Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk launched Airbnb in 2008 as a home-rental platform.
The idea emerged in San Francisco when Chesky and Gebbia needed to earn money from their apartment. During a design conference in 2007, they hosted visitors on air mattresses because local hotels were full. They developed the concept further, and programmer Nathan Blecharczyk joined as the technical co-founder.
The service initially operated under the name AirBed & Breakfast. It allowed hosts to list rooms or homes and travelers to book stays through an online marketplace. The company later shortened its name to Airbnb as it expanded beyond air mattresses and shared rooms to include entire homes and other accommodations.
Airbnb is often confused with a traditional hotel chain because it is a major lodging brand. It does not generally own the properties listed on its platform; instead, it connects hosts with guests and processes bookings. The company’s growth helped popularize peer-to-peer accommodation worldwide.