Introducing Airbnb’s new Atlanta Tech Hub

Last year, we announced our plans to open a technical hub in the City of Atlanta to serve as the home for one of our product development teams, the regional base for new technical and non-technical roles over time – and the first step in a broader commitment to a long-term presence in the area.

“With the opening of our Atlanta Tech Hub, we hope to create many new high-skilled jobs over time and further expand our commitment to serving all stakeholders in Airbnb’s diverse community: Hosts, guests, communities, employees and shareholders,” said Dave Stephenson, Chief Financial Officer at Airbnb. “Atlanta emerged as the perfect choice for our new Tech Hub because of its strong educational infrastructure and institutions committed to supporting communities of color.”

Today, we are proud to announce that we have selected an initial location at the corner of 14th street and Howell Mill Road in the heart of Atlanta’s West Midtown – with current plans to open the hub later this year, subject to pandemic conditions. The space is in the mixed-use Interlock complex and is managed by Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures (GATV), an affiliate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. GATV acquires and develops properties near the campus that addresses both Georgia Tech’s academic needs and that of technology companies interested in tapping into its research innovations and student talent. We were represented by T. Dallas Smith & Company, the nation’s largest African American-owned, pure tenant rep, commercial real estate brokerage firm. 

As part of our recruitment and hiring efforts, we are constantly innovating and creating new programs to provide local candidates of all backgrounds and levels of experience the opportunity to join the company. With the opening of the Atlanta Tech Hub, we will continue our work developing community partnerships in the city to expand entrepreneurship opportunities and create pathways for Atlanta residents to pursue careers in technology. This work builds on our existing partnerships with the NAACP, the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE), Tech Bridge, and others in the Atlanta community. 

Airbnb is a tool for economic empowerment, providing a path to entrepreneurship for Atlanta residents and helping local families pay their bills by sharing their homes. In the first three quarters of 2021, Airbnb brought more than  500,000 total guest arrivals into Atlanta and 1.7 million to Georgia. Since 2010, Airbnb Hosts in Georgia have earned a total of $1.2 billion, and home sharing has served as a source of income for more than 40,000 Hosts across the state. 56 percent of Hosts in Atlanta self-identify as women, and 35 percent are families. 

Most Hosts on Airbnb are everyday people sharing the homes in which they live, and the typical Host earns $9,600 each year. According to a survey of our US Host community, 42 percent said the money they earned on Airbnb helped them stay in their homes. One quarter of Atlanta Hosts said either they or someone in their household experienced a pay cut or lost work hours in 2020 because of the pandemic; 18 percent said they lost their jobs or were laid off themselves, or lived with someone who did. 

Airbnb guest spending also supports local businesses. Last year, research by Oxford Economics found that in 2019 Airbnb guest spending in Atlanta supported 3,400 jobs, including 1,200 in the restaurant industry. Almost 40 percent said that saving money on their accommodations by staying at an Airbnb listing allowed them to spend more on other goods or services in Atlanta.

We are committed to being a long-term partner to the City of Atlanta and look forward to continuing our work with local leaders as they promote entrepreneurship and tourism recovery.

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, 90 percent of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. In 2019, Airbnb directly supported 300,000 jobs in just 30 destinations, averaging nine jobs for every 1,000 guest arrivals. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.