Airbnb: Surviving Coronavirus
2023
| Case No.
F320
| Length
18 pgs.
This case explores the crisis faced by Airbnb in early 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic brought global travel and hospitality to a near standstill. CEO Brian Chesky and CFO Dave Stephenson were forced to put IPO plans on hold and confront an existential threat to the business. As cancellations grew and tensions mounted between guests and hosts around refunds, Airbnb had to make urgent decisions about cash preservation, stakeholder prioritization, and how to fund operations amid frozen capital markets. The case invites students to analyze the company’s scenario planning, stakeholder dilemmas, and financing options as it attempts to survive an unprecedented collapse in demand.
Learning Objective
This case is designed to help students learn how to navigate crisis decision-making as a CFO. Students analyze how to preserve cash, conduct scenario planning, manage stakeholder tensions, and make principled, high-stakes decisions amid extreme uncertainty.
This material is available for download by current Stanford GSB students, faculty, and staff, as well as Stanford GSB alumni. For inquires, contact the
Case Writing Office.
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