Next year could—or could not—be a big one for Airbnb: the company may go public in 2019.
At Recode’s Code Conference in California yesterday, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky alluded that an IPO could be in the company’s near future.
“We will be ready to IPO next year, but I don’t know if we will,” Chesky said, choosing to remain somewhat coy on the subject.
Nevertheless, he did add that he has no issues with going public, saying “it could happen.” He reportedly even spoke to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about an IPO, saying that “Mark is a big proponent,” and pointed to other conversations he’s had with people who have taken their companies public, noting that many have said it was a good experience for them.
.@bchesky, CEO @Airbnb, on developing as a CEO: One day everything you do doesn’t matter because the company is too big. It’s been very, very clear that part of what I now should be doing is building an incredible management team. #CodeConpic.twitter.com/jbxhCFNjo0
— Recode (@Recode) May 30, 2018
Before going public, Chesky explained that he wanted to ensure that it would be beneficial to the company and its investors, noting that Airbnb has investors “who are really patient.”
Airbnb is currently valued at an estimated $31 billion.