The Airbnb Journey: How a Road Trip Inspired a $25B Industry Disruptor
"I think travel is all about experiencing something different and understanding a different culture," Airbnb co-founder and CTO Nathan Blecharczyk tells CNN.
And it was one trip in particular where Nathan fell in love with its culture: Silicon Valley.
Nathan was living in DC after graduating college when he decided to do a West Coast road trip. The plan was to start in San Diego, go through LA and end up in S.F. to meet up with friends who worked at companies like Google and Facebook.
The intention of the trip was pretty open, he says. But what he didn't know was that it would lead to an industry game changer, now valued at $25B.
"My trip to California definitely changed my life," he says. "It opened my eyes to a new world, a world where it was normal to become an entrepreneur where everyone was starting a tech company."
He moved out a month later, finding his roommate (and future Airbnb co-founder) Joe Gebbia over Craigslist, of all places. And the rest, they say, is history. [CNN]
