It’s Time for Me to Fly

Before you can start something new, you often have to leave something behind. Friday was my last day of work at  Airbnb. It was a job and a company that I loved. My leaving didn’t have to do with the work, but rather, the call to do something else was simply stronger.

I joined Airbnb 6 ½ years ago. At the time, it wasn’t yet a household name, a verb. The term “sharing economy” was just entering our lexicon and the business model was still somewhat dubious. There were only 800 employees globally and the office in Portland hadn’t opened yet. I worked remotely in customer service, primarily helping our host community. Overall, it’s been a good place for me.

I agree with the mission of Airbnb—To create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. More than once, I’ve been proud of the stand my company took—offering free housing to families of shooting victims in Orlando, issuing statements against Muslim ban and the #weaccept ad during the Super Bowl. I’ve been impressed with how they’ve addressed discrimination on the platform. I’ve also felt valued there as an employee, as a leader, as a queer woman and as an older employee. Most of the days I felt respected, listened to, compensated well and part of a larger team. That’s about all one can hope for from a job, I think.

I gave my notice more than a month ago and I don’t think I, nor anyone, could have predicted the state the world and especially the travel industry would be in right now. My last day in the office was eerie. I planned to work a half day: deliver a performance review and have a couple of meetings to hand off projects, then turn in my laptop and have lunch before heading out.

When I walked in Friday morning, the security guards greeted me as normal, but when I got to my floor, all the lights were off and no one else was there. It was quiet and creepy.

The night before an email went out stating that our office would be closed indefinitely beginning Saturday. Most folks were already taking advantage of the voluntary work from home policy. A few others straggled in to pick up whatever IT supplies they would need to make the transition. I held my three meetings over video call, while my team, in their new at-home work stations struggled to keep up with the unprecedented volume that the national state of emergency was creating for us and every other customer service professional in the travel industry. (Please be kind, if you’re one of those impacted.)

My last day might have been odd, but I do have to say, working at Airbnb all these years has provided unexpected support and growth.

When I took the job, I was desperate and just needed something. Honestly, I didn’t know much about the company, even though I was a host. I didn’t know that it was one of the most sought after places to work and that 99 of 100 applicants were turned away. I just knew that my freelance writing income wasn’t enough to pay the bills anymore and I needed something.

During my tenure at Airbnb I lost both my parents and had a devastating car accident that left me impaired for months. It’s been an incredibly supportive place to work during those times. I was traveling for a work trip in Paris in November 2015 when a series of attacks terrorized the city. The rapid response and the way our community came together in that time held my fears and anxiety at bay.

There’s been many joyful moments, as well. I was part of the original Premium Support Team, providing customer service to our Superhost community and won a trip to Iceland with my team as reward for our excellent work. I created and ran the Portland office’s Social Impact program, sending volunteers from our office out into the community weekly to help out at places like food banks, shelters, community gardens, parks and animal shelters. We had so many amazing happy hours and I’ll never forget the party at HQ with MC Hammer as our DJ. We had prom-themed parties, amazing guest speakers, our own in-house Olympics and I got to travel to San Francisco Pride and New York City to be a “brand ambassador” for the company. I took advantage of the free yoga classes and had so many riverwalks with colleagues.

Like most of the travel industry, the impact of the COVID-19 on Airbnb’s financial future is unknown. No matter what transpires, I hope they stay true to their values and continue to take care of one another, as they have taken care of me all these years.

The most touching moment for me, and one that epitomizes the culture of the Airbnb Portland office is the time my entire team, 18 people, surprised me at the airport upon returning home after my Dad’s death.

Thanks, Airbnb! The end of one journey is the start of another, and yet we are who we are because of the people we’ve met along the way.

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