Airbnb, a ‘sharing economy’ pioneer, files to go public

Airbnb said Wednesday that it had confidentially filed to go public, taking a key step toward one of the largest public market debuts in a generation of “sharing economy” startups.

A public offering by the company, which lets people rent out their spare rooms or homes to travellers, would cap a volatile year in which its business was devastated by the spread of the coronavirus. Airbnb had been privately valued at $31 billion before this year and the company must now convince investors that it can thrive and turn a profit in a new era of limited travel.

Airbnb declined to comment beyond its brief announcement.