Skift Take
As CEO and head of community, Brian Chesky makes his way around the world and he’s offering some insights into what’s next for his $31-billion company.
Airbnb co-founder, CEO, and newly minted head of community Brian Chesky has embarked on a world tour of seven different cities and midway into his journey, he's been dropping quite a few hints into the future of his company, which is now theoretically worth almost as much as the world's largest hotel company.
On March 10, Chesky spoke in front of university students at the Oxford Union in Oxford, England, and on March 13, Chesky stopped by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to be interviewed on stage by The Airbnb Story author and Fortune assistant managing editor Leigh Gallagher as part of a New York Economic Club lunch meeting.
During both appearances, Chesky spoke about what it was like to launch a now $31-billion company, as well as discussed the possibility of a future initial public offering (IPO) and what Airbnb Flights might look like.
To IPO or Not to IPO?
Airbnb's latest round of funding seemed to quell rumors that the company was nearing an IPO, but during his NYSE discussion, Chesky confirmed that, yes, Airbnb is on the path to an IPO. However, when exactly that will be is still to be determined.
"We don't have anything to announce," Chesky said. "We are working on making sure the company is ready to go public and so, you know, we've always said it's a two-year project and we're probably halfway through that project as far as being ready to go public. At that point, you know, our investors are very patient. None of them are anxiously waiting for us to go public."
When reminded he made the same comments in 2015, Chesky said the two-year period was "flexible."
Chesky also said the only reason Airbnb would seriously enter into an IPO would be to deliver immediate liquidity for the company's shareholders.
Flights & End-to-End Travel Experiences
During Chesky's talk at the Oxford Union, he gave bit more insight into one of the company's most anticipated
