The Airbnb Story

 This is the remarkable behind-the-scenes story of how Airbnb, the online lodging platform that has become, in under a decade, the largest provider of accommodations in the world, came to be. At first just the wacky idea of cofounders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb has disrupted the $500 billion hotel industry. Its $30 billion valuations are now larger than that of Hilton and close to that of Marriott. Its millions of members in its “host” community have benefited from it greatly, as have the countless travelers who flocked to its platform for their trip needs. And yet, even as the company has blazed such an unexpected path, this is the first book solely dedicated to this phenomenon. Fortune editor Leigh Gallagher explores its success along with the more controversial side of its story. Regulators want to curb its rapid expansion; hotel industry leaders wrestle with the damage it has done (and will continue to do) to their bottom line.