From near-failure to global giant: Airbnb's co-founder on how it all almost never happened
From near-failure to global giant: Airbnb's co-founder on how it all almost never happened  
Podcast: Behind the Business with Michelle Toh
Published On: Thu Jun 18 2026
Description: We are back! Our first guest of the new season is Airbnb co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk. Airbnb now spans almost every country in the world. But there was a point early on where the team agreed: if things didn’t improve in 13 weeks, they’d quit. In our first episode of Season 2, co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk takes us inside the making of Airbnb — from “ramen profitability” and investor rejection to global expansion, crisis management and what comes next. In this conversation, we dive into: 00:00: Introduction 03:51: Teaching himself to code at age 12 and becoming an entrepreneur at age 14 05:52: First job and learning 'what not to do' at a startup 07:35: Meeting fellow Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia as his roommate through Craigslist 08:01: The birth of Airbnb 11:02: Handling skepticism, rejection from friends and investors 13:36: Pitch deck advice from OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman 16:01: PR stunt at the DNC — selling $30K of "Obama O's" and "Cap'n McCain's" cereal in one week 20:27: Teetering on the verge of quitting 20:53: Applying and getting into Y Combinator 24:10: "Ramen profitability" and the company's turnaround 25:35: Advice from YC founder Paul Graham on doing things that don't scale 30:33: 'War time mode': Fending off a European clone 35:07: The company's 'first real trust and safety incident' 37:56: Delayed IPO - eventually going public in one of the most successful debuts in tech history 38:39: 80% revenue drop during Covid 41:06: Fear of survival and navigating painful layoffs 46:41: Airbnb's reinvention and quest to become a 'super app' 50:15: Outlook on AI 52:38: What happened with Airbnb in China 55:42: Global outlook and key markets 1:00:08: Rapid-fire round Season 2 is here, featuring the leaders of brands including Airbnb, Rivian, NYSE, Canva, Samsung, Poppi, Peloton, Revolve, Lucid Motors, PHLUR, The Points Guy and Away. Catch new episodes every Thursday.   SUBSCRIBE + FOLLOW:- YouTube: https://bit.ly/YTBTB- Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/3IFGuIA- Spotify: https://bit.ly/SpotiBTB- Amazon Music: http://bit.ly/4pPZZPp About Behind the BusinessBehind the Business is a Webby Award-winning, thoughtfully produced video podcast grounded in the belief that business is in fact personal. This is not a fawning interview show. We pair deep research with thorough interviews — asking the real questions and avoiding fluff, while keeping it fun! What’s the toughest day you’ve ever had at work? How do you mentally prep for a big event? Or what’s a pinch-me moment you’ll never forget? In each episode, guests get into it all. Each episode also connects guests with young founders/ CEOs who send in a question. New episodes every Thursday. About Michelle TohMichelle is an award-winning international journalist, most recently a longtime reporter at CNN. She's covered top stories in global business, including the chip and trade wars, world-leading IPOs, the corporate response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's energy crisis and China's property problems. Previously, she was with FORTUNE. She has reported for The New York Times, TIME and South China Morning Post. #businesspodcast #founders #leadership #entrepreneurship #journalism #businessinterview #interviews #startups #startup #startupjourney #businessnews #techfounders #podcast #youtubepodcast #travel #travelbusiness #siliconvalley #ycombinator #ai #superapp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices