Brian Chesky from Airbnb talking to me in January 2014

Last week Airbnb floated on the Nasdaq stock exchange. It was a big success with shares doubling on day one, valuing the company at $100 billion. It allowed me to recall my interview with the founder of the start-up from San Francisco seven years ago.

In January 2014, I had never heard the name Airbnb but I had to interview its founder Brian Chesky for the BBC.

It was a cold Winter’s Sunday morning and I was at work in New Broadcasting House because news, as you know, is a cruel mistress who you give up your weekends for and get sporadic love back in return. I got a call from a colleague, Leo Kelion, who runs the BBC’s technology desk, asking me to do a favour for him. Leo is the type of guy who always did favours for others and is famed for running through the newsroom with keys and coins jangling in his pockets. He must love the cashless world we inherited post COVID-19.

There had been a mixup on the dates and an interview which they thought would be taking place on Monday when everyone was around was now due to take place on that Sunday. No other date would work.

It involved a company called Airbnb. I had to ask him three times how to spell the name of this company because I had never heard of it. “Believe me Joe, they’ll be huge”, came the response from Leo. It turns out Brian Chesky set up the company after months of sleeping on Friends’ air mattresses in the outrageously overpriced San Francisco property market.

Either way, as a favour to Leo, I was happy to do the interview. I had to start from scratch in terms of research. He had sent me some suggested questions but I never conduct interviews without doing my own questions. Needless to say that involved quite a lot of articles with quotations from angry hotels and tax authorities.

Once Leo emailed Brian’s ‘people’ that I would be doing the grilling, that was when the PR bombardment started. When the PR company (which is a very well known UK spinner) was informed, they started bombarding me every 30 minutes with queries, questions and just general annoyance.

Who exactly was going to meet the founder Brian Chesky (who I had never heard of) at NBH reception? What was the name of the cameraman? What questions would Brian get? How long exactly would the interview take? When exactly would it be put on air? Would they have the final say on what was broadcast or published???

For those of you who have never worked with or for the BBC, let me make one thing very clear. The BBC never gives questions in advance. The BBC never gives editorial control to an interviewee, let alone their PR representatives. The BBC cannot guarantee how long an interview will take place nor even whether the item will ever be broadcast. IN short if you agree to be interviewed by the beeb, you surrender all control in PR terms, there and then.

At one point on that Sunday afternoon, the PR company was even toying with pulling the interview because I refused to provide responses to their questions in advance.

The BBC’s Old and New Broadcasting Houses

Since I didn’t know nor care about this company called Airbnb, I was happy to cancel the interview as I had other things to do concerning companies that people in Europe had heard of.

As is always the case once Brian Chesky from Airbnb finally arrived in the BBC with an army of PR hangers-on, they couldn’t have been any friendlier to me in front of the client. ‘Everything was fine’, they said in their perfectly fitting suits and expensive watches.

‘No problem at all’ regarding not sharing my questions in advance. ‘No issues’ regarding editorial control. The only hint of hesitation was answering when or whether it would ever be broadcast.

I have worked with PR companies for 20 years. Most of them are great. They are mostly thorough, professional, friendly and help journalists. Some though are rude, arrogant, lacking in knowledge and disrespectful, and give the whole PR industry a bad rep.

I don’t know whether it was evident in the video, but I certainly didn’t show Brian Chesky the kind of deference that his PR wonks were showing him. Looking back at my notes (Yes, journalists do keep notes of all their interviews), I see that I didn't pull any punches. “Q: Aren't you one major tragedy at one of your sites away from a collapse in trust value?”

He was a young man (32 at that time) and about to become a multi billionaire. He remained very calm, collected and personable throughout the interview and I would wish him well.

Pity I couldn't buy any shares in his company back then.

Full Interview

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-25920159

FIN

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