Airbnb Inc. said Wednesday it confidentially filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering, marking a surprising turnaround for a company whose business was initially ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. Airbnb is leaning toward listing its shares on Nasdaq, according to people familiar with the matter. Airbnb joins a rush of companies tapping public investors after the IPO market emerged from a virtual standstill triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Founded in 2008 after the company’s co-founders began renting guests an air mattress in their downtown San Francisco apartment, Airbnb grew into one of the most highly valued startups over the last decade. On July 8, guests booked more than one million nights of future stays at Airbnb listings around the world, the company said.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 19, 2020 21:00 UTC