Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk launched Airbnb in 2008 to help people rent short-term lodging. Chesky and Gebbia first explored the idea after renting air mattresses in their San Francisco apartment to visitors who could not find hotel rooms.
The original service was called AirBed & Breakfast. The founders created a website for the 2007 Industrial Design Conference in San Francisco, and the business was formally established in 2008. Nathan Blecharczyk later joined as the technical co-founder.
People sometimes remember Airbnb as beginning solely with apartments, but its early concept centered on temporary sleeping space in a private home. The platform later expanded to entire homes, rooms, experiences, and longer stays in many countries.