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PROPERTY RENTAL WEBSITE Airbnb has announced that it is to double its workforce in Ireland, creating 100 new jobs.
The website allows users to rent out rooms, houses, and any other kind of property online.
The jobs will largely be mainly in its customer experience and hospitality teams, but roles will also be created in its HR, finance and legal departments.
Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton welcomed the announcement, saying the government is seeking to encourage more “born-on-the-internet” companies to locate in Ireland.
Many already have, such as Twitter, Google, and Facebook.
Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s co-founder and chief executive, said choosing to expand in Dublin was “a complete no-brainer” as Ireland is “the most hospitable country on the planet”.
Chesky said our low corporate tax rate “obviously wasn’t one of the first two or three considerations” examined by the company when deciding to locate its European headquarters in the capital.
He cited our hospitality and skilled workforce as factors that had a bigger influence, adding that the company was particularly looking for people who spoke two or three languages.
U2 frontman Bono, who met with the company earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said Airbnb are a “force to be reckoned with”:
Tech companies like these are training grounds for a smart and savvy workforce like ours.
He added that its important that jobs like these are created in order to retain “our best and brightest”.
The company opened its Hospitality Innovation Lab in Dublin last year, where it plans to “innovate on the customer experience”.
Airbnb could be valued at more than €7bn if current negotiations to raise capital are achieved.
With additional reporting by Órla Ryan
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i’m not Bonos biggest fan, though I like a lot of U2s music, but I don’t think people realise how involved Bono is with the Tech Industry major players here in Ireland. I expect to get a monstrous amount of red thumbs for this comment but in my opinion Bono has done as much, if not more for job creation in the tech sector in Ireland in the past few years than our government. It’s not widely publicised, or publicised at all in fact but believe it or not Bono had a major part to play in Facebook coming to Dublin. I believe he had some part to play in google also but I’m not overly familiar with that.
It’s very easy to slag him as probably our most famous living person, and i’ve been very guilty of slagging him many times :), but credit where credit is due, he could sit on his arse and count his money smoking a cigar whilst stroking a cat in his swivel chair, but he chooses to do the complete opposite.
Fair play to Bono. That’s the Sweetest Thing I’ve read in a long time. And you can criticise him all you like, but With Or Without You, this company will still be a success.
You shall be struck down but your right he was directly involved in brinfing Facebook and Airbnb to Ireland and indirectly involved in Google and many others. I think the boya Bono is trying his best but as we all know in Ireland that will never be good enough since his management and colleagues moved a “small portion” of their overall industry to Holland to reduce their tax burden. Fair play to ye Bonzo.
By the way, I was only joking when I said fair play to Bono. He’s a disgrace. I do love that song they do though. What’s the lyric? It’s a Beautiful Day for corporate tax avoidance. Or something like that.
Did Bono have a part in bringing Google and Facebook to Dublin? Wow. And did he invent the Internet as well?
There’s always one.
No. That was dear leader kim Jong un.
Uh oh. Bono is mentioned. Prepare for the comments section to go into a frenzy of jealous rage and insults at the the U2 front man.
I’ll get the ball rolling my good man.Bono’s a knobber.
Fair play to Bono, but lets not get off the point here and stay on topic, the guys an A$$hole.
Story Bono, giz a job will ya
Bono? Who’s Bono?
I cannot really say too much about Bono without laughing. He used to annoy me but now I think he is a comical character, a court jester wheeled out on the world stage to amuse the wealthy and powerful. What more can I say except, “Bono you are a Ballox”. That felt good.
Why is Bono so delighted? Where does he pay his taxes to?!
He pays it to ireland pretty simple!
Don’t be lying, Michael.
Begrudging feckers the lot of yis
It’s not begrudgery. This sums it up pretty well:
http://ourmaninstockholm.com/2014/03/08/the-unforgettable-ire/
Not a fan of bono’s especially after his remarks at that eoropean peoples party conference. However if he was involved in taking jobs to ireland then all credit to him.
I love that expression.. Customer Experience.
We need stickier jobs than simply expanding customer service roles, even if Airbnb actually offers pretty good perks for those positions.
I hope the curse of Bono isn’t true. Otherwise they will be out of business in no time.
Curse of Bono ? Most successful musician of all time Bono
Give me that curse any time..
The world is broken, Bono make it better (in third person)
Bono is invloved with AirnOb…
What’s the difference between god & bono.
God doesn’t walk around thinking he is bono
Brendan
Bono is of dubious legality, never mind humanity. Or even sanity. Definitely not vanity
It is great news all the tech job news. But we have a rake of taxes that just takes the joy out of everything. Scrap the USC,property tax and water charges. Let folks spend or save their hard earned money rather than see it go down the bank debt hole.
Yet more good news, Shinners must be despairing
Many airbnb rentals are of dubious legality.
Bono is going to ascend into a higher being!!!!
Dexter
I agree. Lets start a campaign to canonise Bono. Now, now. Stranger things have happened before in the history of canonisation.
We could start by referring to him as Blessed Bono or even Blessed without the Bono (now there’s a thought).
Not what I was expecting when I saw Bono was delighted at the start of the article. I had visions of him unloading trailers of air mattressess at his place and being innundated with his adoring fans from overseas bunking down on them at €50 a go.
Air bnb is great!! Except along the Bible Belt in USA. Seriously! Awkward moments.
have your say