12 ms·

I had the incredible good fortune to not only be in the same YC batch as Airbnb, but also be the only other founder in SF, which meant I just happened to carpoo

by breck 6y ago

I had the incredible good fortune to not only be in the same YC batch as Airbnb, but also be the only other founder in SF, which meant I just happened to carpool a lot with them and hang at their place a lot. I still remember when Nate first told me the idea at our first batch meeting and I immediately loved it—at the time I lived in a 4-br house with ~10 people, and we constantly had people on the couches or in a tent on the roof. I would go on to make more money thanks to the Airbnbs during my YC year than I would from my own startup. But a million times more valuable than money was the path that those guys sent me down. Sure, we both had gotten into YC, but I could immediately sense there was a huge gap between us. I think I've always had a strong work ethic and desire to serve others, but I didn't have the craftsmanship or teamwork skills that these guys had—and they had it in spades. Everyone talks about the cereals, but their apartment had more impressive things they designed and built than that (IMO). Nate was a no non-sense engineer who took software seriously and built great things. His code was far beyond mine at the time. And the team work was incredible. I dabbled with joining Airbnb early, but never went down that path. I like to joke with my friends that I turned them down, but in reality it wasn't because I had better options, the truth is I knew they were out of my league skills wise, and I had a long way to go to catch up. The lesson that I learned from the Airbnbs that I think isn't always stressed enough in the "power law startup world" is that you need to be building many, many things—with other people—, and get really, really good at that, before you can go on and "make something people want" and do something world changing, like these guys have done. I'll never forget driving home in the dark after our Tuesday night dinners in a rental van, the 3 airbnbs and me. After hours of loud demos about their new stuff and listening to everyone in the room about how they could build things better, the drive home would be quiet. You could tell that they were utterly exhausted, but also quietly determined. I doubt that they will stop and rest enough to celebrate this moment, but they "earned this" moment. They're the real deal. To this day continually inspired by them.

hiimtroymclure 6y ago
I enjoyed reading your reflection of that experience with them!
hn_throwaway_99 6y ago
Thank you so much for sharing this post. I admit that I'm a bit dismayed that so many of the top comments on this thread (on a website that's all about sharing ideas re: technology startups, no less) are basically just a gripe session. Virtually everything I've heard from people who have actual, personal interactions with the AirBnB founders is positive, and especially that their interactions were inspiring - that is, the AirBnB founders inspired people around them to do better work. I just think that's an amazing quality and something I'm so grateful for when I find it. Sure, I may have my own gripes about AirBnB, but I can certainly appreciate the unique combination of talent in the founders that made their success possible.
- bengale 6y ago
  I had similar feelings about a lot of top comments in here, and more generally about this place recently. I don’t know if it’s just an influx of users but things feel different these days.
  - abakker 6y ago
    There's a bit of the echo chamber, too. I for one don't read enough positive posts, and yet it is these remembrances and positive feelings about the work so many of us do that makes it feel worth it. If HN was all positive, it wouldn't work, but it seems at its best (to me) when it is equal parts enthusiasm, optimism, and criticism.
    - wolco2 6y ago
      The show us and ask us sections are more positive with helpful comments. The main page is more negative but often brings up cold truths.
  - 1123581321 6y ago
    I figured it was some kind of COVID effect. Also, tastes are probably changing just as many users get the hang of the previously popular house styles of commenting, so patience from more established, better read or experienced users is extra short.
rhizome 6y ago
I believe you that they had their pitch fleshed out once they got moving, but from someone who, in a way, wished someone would invent AirBNB for years, I can't imagine the original inspiration was any more complicated than "VRBO's website fucking sucks, and has, for a long time."
- godot 6y ago
  Let me know if I interpreted you incorrectly, but I think you mean that VRBO has existed for longer and has a poor product/UX so they needed to be disrupted. I think it may be easy to compare the two now, but back in the days they were fairly different. I was a fairly early user of Airbnb (they opened at a time when I was young and traveled a lot, especially solo). During those days, Airbnb was truly about renting out extra space in your own home. (Maybe not an "airbed" every time, but just a room in your house/apartment, nonetheless) All of my early usages of Airbnb (as a guest -- I was never a host) were actually renting rooms in these strangers' apartments, that they live in themselves. This was in France, Italy, Brazil, etc. It's not about vacation houses in popular resort places (Lake Tahoe etc.). In fact, I remember back in the days there was a lot of comparison of Airbnb and Couchsurfing. One is paid and one is free, sure, but both were very much about meeting folks locally.
  - borski 6y ago
    Precisely. Same space, distinctly different product and vision/goals.
    - rhizome 6y ago
      Their intent is irrelevant. What counts is how they're used for the same purpose.
  - conductr 6y ago
    This is true I remember as much as I wanted to like the concept, Airbnb never resonated with me personally until they became more like vrbo. It’s because I’m firm on not wanting to befriend my hosts. I want the whole house to myself. Now I like it because I can get into a neighborhood and “live” in my host city.
sritrisna 6y ago
Hey Breck, I was one of those staying on your couch. Had a great time and yes, without AirBNB wouldn't have been able to connect to great people around the Bay Area.

by breck 6y ago

hiimtroymclure 6y ago

I enjoyed reading your reflection of that experience with them!

hn_throwaway_99 6y ago

Thank you so much for sharing this post. I admit that I'm a bit dismayed that so many of the top comments on this thread (on a website that's all about sharing ideas re: technology startups, no less) are basically just a gripe session. Virtually everything I've heard from people who have actual, personal interactions with the AirBnB founders is positive, and especially that their interactions were inspiring - that is, the AirBnB founders inspired people around them to do better work. I just think that's an amazing quality and something I'm so grateful for when I find it. Sure, I may have my own gripes about AirBnB, but I can certainly appreciate the unique combination of talent in the founders that made their success possible.

bengale 6y ago
I had similar feelings about a lot of top comments in here, and more generally about this place recently. I don’t know if it’s just an influx of users but things feel different these days.
- abakker 6y ago
  There's a bit of the echo chamber, too. I for one don't read enough positive posts, and yet it is these remembrances and positive feelings about the work so many of us do that makes it feel worth it. If HN was all positive, it wouldn't work, but it seems at its best (to me) when it is equal parts enthusiasm, optimism, and criticism.
  - wolco2 6y ago
    The show us and ask us sections are more positive with helpful comments. The main page is more negative but often brings up cold truths.
- 1123581321 6y ago
  I figured it was some kind of COVID effect. Also, tastes are probably changing just as many users get the hang of the previously popular house styles of commenting, so patience from more established, better read or experienced users is extra short.

rhizome 6y ago

I believe you that they had their pitch fleshed out once they got moving, but from someone who, in a way, wished someone would invent AirBNB for years, I can't imagine the original inspiration was any more complicated than "VRBO's website fucking sucks, and has, for a long time."

godot 6y ago
Let me know if I interpreted you incorrectly, but I think you mean that VRBO has existed for longer and has a poor product/UX so they needed to be disrupted. I think it may be easy to compare the two now, but back in the days they were fairly different. I was a fairly early user of Airbnb (they opened at a time when I was young and traveled a lot, especially solo). During those days, Airbnb was truly about renting out extra space in your own home. (Maybe not an "airbed" every time, but just a room in your house/apartment, nonetheless) All of my early usages of Airbnb (as a guest -- I was never a host) were actually renting rooms in these strangers' apartments, that they live in themselves. This was in France, Italy, Brazil, etc. It's not about vacation houses in popular resort places (Lake Tahoe etc.). In fact, I remember back in the days there was a lot of comparison of Airbnb and Couchsurfing. One is paid and one is free, sure, but both were very much about meeting folks locally.
- borski 6y ago
  Precisely. Same space, distinctly different product and vision/goals.
  - rhizome 6y ago
    Their intent is irrelevant. What counts is how they're used for the same purpose.
- conductr 6y ago
  This is true I remember as much as I wanted to like the concept, Airbnb never resonated with me personally until they became more like vrbo. It’s because I’m firm on not wanting to befriend my hosts. I want the whole house to myself. Now I like it because I can get into a neighborhood and “live” in my host city.

sritrisna 6y ago

Hey Breck, I was one of those staying on your couch. Had a great time and yes, without AirBNB wouldn't have been able to connect to great people around the Bay Area.