The Brief

They say that the best way to know where you’re going is to see where you’ve been. I had ten weeks to conduct a business analysis of Airbnb’s organizational structure, product innovations and financial performance to identify new business opportunities for continued market growth. The goal was to identify and define potential solutions to maximize stakeholder value.

The Analysis

Over a ten-week period, I dove into every aspect of Airbnb’s business model. Throughout this strategic analysis, three critical elements of Airbnb’s strategy emerged: technology, empowerment and community.

Airbnb’s disruptive impact on the travel industry is inarguable. Smaller company with fewer resources takes on well-established incumbents? Check. New entrant establishes success in the low-end market before moving upmarket? Check. A once-fringe offering becomes mainstream? Check. When a small-scale experiment between two post-grad roommates turns into a global organization with a $75 billion valuation, there’s no other way to define it. Airbnb’s story is one of disruptive innovation.

Since its inception, Airbnb has been a disruptive innovator with a blue ocean strategy. In the years since, they’ve become a household name with a global network and billions of bookings. Their future success depends on their ability to maintain a competitive advantage. To do so, they must leverage the revenue, resources and data they’ve acquired to create superior value.

Maybe they’ll target the growing retirement population or explore opportunities for augmented reality. Regardless of what their next move is, I foresee Airbnb getting ever closer to a world where anyone can belong anywhere.