Airbnb CEO Says IPO Possible In 2020

Billionaire Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said “travel has changed forever” in an interview with Yahoo Finance's Andy Serwer. 

Airbnb's Pandemic Trends: Chesky discussed the changes that have occurred in travel as a result of the pandemic.

Compared to the initial business loss — about 80% — that Airbnb suffered in the first six weeks of the pandemic, the demand for temporary rental homes has returned to the same level as last year, the CEO said. 

This is a positive sign in terms of going public, Chesky said, as he confirmed that Airbnb spent “very few dollars on advertising.”  

Chesky said on a recent company call that “we’re not committing to going public this year, but we’re not ruling it out, either,” The New York Times reported. 

Chesky Comments On Possible IPO: Ultimately, the decision to go public will be determined by market conditions.

To that end, Chesky said Airbnb has been approached about going public through a merger with a blank check acquisition company, during a Reuters Newsmaker interview. 

Although Chesky has considered going public via direct listing, when asked about using a special purpose acquisition company, he said: “we’re looking at everything. So I probably shouldn’t speculate too much on it." 

In regards to Airbnb’s rebound from the company’s nosedive in March, Chesky said the business came back on its own.

“I think it fundamentally says something: it says that we are still useful, there is a need, people want to connect with local communities, local people and they think of Airbnb without us having to advertise; they still remember us.”