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Airbnb Culture Design Canvas
How to create a culture where anyone can belong anywhere
Everyone acknowledges that Airbnb has disrupted the hospitality industry. However, what makes this company so unique is its obsession with culture. Speak to any Airbnb employee about what makes the company special, and they’ll answer “the culture.”
It all started back in 2012 by the advice Peter Thiel gave the founders after investing $150M in Airbnb.
“Don’t fuck up the culture.”
Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky was caught by surprise by those words.
Thiel explained that one of the key reasons he invested in Airbnb was the culture. But, he was cynical that, once a company gets to a certain size, they usually “fuck it up.”
Chesky realized that he had to turn culture into a key priority. The more they discussed the matter, the more he became clear that it was possible to defend, and actually build the culture.
A few months later, Chesky sent the Don’t Fuck Up the Culture letter to the entire Airbnb staff. He knew very CEOs are focused on culture above all else.
Brian Chesky realized that workplace culture is the only sustainable competitive advantage. As he explains in the now-famous letter:
