At this week's TED conference in Vancouver, Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia revealed the email that launched the home-sharing juggernaut.
Advertisement
In 2007, Gebbia and cofounder Brian Chesky learned a design conference was coming to San Francisco, and all of the hotels were sold out. Gebbia pitched Chesky (his best friend and roommate) on renting out a space for these people to stay in.
Axel Springer, Insider Inc.'s parent company, is an investor in Airbnb.