<Airbnb Reflections by Reid Hoffman> 그레이록파트너스의 리드 호프만(링크드인 창업자)이 에어비앤비의 투자에 대해서 적은 글입니다. 본인이 처음 에어비앤비에 투자할 수 있었던 기회를 놓치는 이야기, 왜 놓쳤는지, 그 속에서 본인이 느낀 것은 무엇인지 얘기하고 있습니다. 그리고 에어비앤비 창업자들이 가지고 있는 디자인씽킹(IDEO적인...)이 어떻게 에어비앤비의 사업을 부스팅할 수 있었는지도 얘기하고 있고요. 마지막 단락은 에어비앤비가 코로나 사태를 맞이했을 때, 했던 일들에 대한 설명인데요. 참 인상 깊습니다. This decision had immediate and painful consequences. Even though the company had been on track for an IPO, it retrenched and laid off 25% of the team. To honor the Alliance it had made with those former employees, Airbnb waived the usual vesting cliff so that they could exercise their stock options, and provided generous severance packages. The company also complemented this financial support with emotional support. Rather than making the laid off employees’ last day a Friday, Airbnb extended their tenure to the next Monday, so that all employees could spend that day saying goodbye. In addition, the company redirected its recruiting team from hiring new employees to helping former employees find new jobs. Certainly Brian played a key role as CEO, but the entire company came together for this effort, and it’s something they can take pride in. The broader lesson is that when tough times come, it’s very easy for companies to turn inwards and just say focus on their remaining employees and customers. But in this case, there was a recognition on the part of Brian and the rest of the team that what really matters is the overall network, which includes employees, but also includes hosts and guests. The most important thing is to preserve the health of the network, because a great company is a community, not just a business. 단순히 해고시킨게 아니라, 그들을 재취업 시키기 위해서 고용팀이 노력하고, 거기에 추가로 퇴사일을 조정해줘서 정서적 유대를 놓치지 않게 하는 배려가 있었습니다. 리드 호프먼이 가장 강조하고 싶었던 얘기로 이 코멘트를 정리하고자 합니다. :) Airbnb’s mission of social connection and belonging is deeply embedded in the company and culture. So I’ll leave you with this last anecdote, about something I thought Airbnb did better than any other company I know, including LinkedIn and PayPal. To reinforce Airbnb’s mission and make it concrete to all team members, the company modeled all of its conference rooms on real Airbnb properties around the world. Every time the team held a physical meeting (something I hope we can get back to soon) the conference room itself was a vivid reminder of the core experience.