Comments:"Airbnb May Hire Former Square Exec Rabois as COO"
URL:http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/02/23/airbnb-may-hire-former-square-exec-rabois-as-coo/
By Jessica E. Lessin
Airbnb is in talks to hire Keith Rabois as its chief operating officer, according to people familiar with the matter, in the wake of his departure from a similar role at Square.
Rabois, a longtime Silicon Valley executive, resigned from Square in late January, amid accusations of sexual harassment by an employee. Rabois has denied the charges but said in a recent blog post that he left Square anyway because the incident would become a distraction.
Airbnb matches people looking for a place to stay with hosts who want to rent out rooms, apartments and homes.
The likelihood of Rabois joining the fast-growing startup remains unclear and the company is still evaluating whether he would be a good fit, according to one of these people. The company, founded in 2008, has considered bringing on a COO from time to time but doesn’t currently have someone in the role.
Rabois is considering a number of options of what to do next, other people said. He was an early investor in Airbnb and could take a different advisory role at the startup, one of the people said.
The San Francisco-based startup recently raised funding that valued it at around $2.5 billion by investors, according to people familiar with the matter.
Airbnb’s business has grown briskly. The company said in June that guests had booked 10 million nights through the service, up from less than two million 12 months earlier.