Airbnb was founded in 2008 after its founders rented out air mattresses in San Francisco.
Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia hosted visitors in their apartment during a design conference when local hotel rooms were scarce. They offered air mattresses and breakfast, inspiring the original name AirBed & Breakfast. Nathan Blecharczyk later joined as a co-founder and helped build the technical platform.
The company was initially based on a marketplace connecting travelers with people offering spare rooms or homes. It later expanded into a global platform for short-term stays and experiences. Its model differed from traditional hotel chains because much of the accommodation was supplied by individual hosts.
The early air-mattress story is often simplified, but the company was not founded by the three co-founders alone in a single day. It developed through testing, fundraising, and repeated changes to its name and business model before becoming Airbnb.