How Airbnb designs for trust – Watch the TED talk

When Joe Gebbia first envisioned Airbnb in his living room in 2007, his motivation was simple: to pay his rent.

Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb, bet his whole company on the belief that people can trust each other enough to stay in one another’s homes.

How did he overcome the stranger-danger bias?

Through good design.

Now, 123 million hosted nights (and counting) later, Gebbia sets out his dream for a culture of sharing in which design helps foster community and connection instead of isolation and separation.

As a designer, entrepreneur and the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Airbnb, Joe Gebbia helped redesign the way the world travels and people connect.

When Joe Gebbia first envisioned Airbnb in his living room in 2007, his motivation was simple: to pay his rent.

Starting as a simple room-sharing service, Joe and co-founders Brian Chesky and Nathan Blecharczyk turned Airbnb into a major disruptive force for the hospitality industry, creating a new economy for millions of people in 190 countries around the world.

More about Joe Gebbia

Gebbia serves as a part-time design partner at Y Combinator, the prestigious startup incubator that helped launch Airbnb.

He earned dual degrees in Graphic Design and Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he now serves on the institution’s Board of Trustees.

He plays a leading role in shaping Airbnb’s future innovation, distinctive culture, and design aesthetic, and through his work, seeks to expand the richness of human connection in the world.

Via TED