In a tourism sector hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, Airbnb is not immune to the effects of this blast. According to a memo published on Tuesday on the group's website, Brian Chesky, the boss and founder of the accommodation booking platform, announced to his employees the dismissal of about a quarter of his 7,500 employees worldwide.
Nearly 1,900 employees will lose their jobs, in the United States and elsewhere. "For employees based in the United States and Canada who will have to leave, Monday, May 11 will be the last day of work," added Brian Chesky, without giving further details on the number of layoffs in each country.
"The most painful crisis of our lives"
For the CEO of Airbnb, the trip to this "new world" will be different from the one we knew before the start of the pandemic. “We have to move in this direction. People will favor proximity, security and the most affordable prices, ”he urges.
"We are collectively going through the most painful crisis of our lives," he said. "Airbnb has been hit hard, with revenues expected to be less than half of 2019 this year. We responded by raising $ 2 billion and dramatically reducing costs for all of our operations." "
Last month, the group had already announced to its employees that it was freezing hirings, suspended its advertising campaigns, reduced the wages of the leaders and that it expected not to pay the least bonus in 2020. According to the Wall Street Journal Airbnb already posted losses of $ 322 million for the first nine months of 2019 after recording a profit of $ 200 million in 2018.