Case Study: Airbnb achieves a culture of belonging and open dialogue with Culture Amp

How Airbnb is building its culture through belonging

Airbnb, founded by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk, frames its mission as “a world where you can belong anywhere.” As the company scaled, leaders faced the challenge of turning that mission into a tangible, consistent culture across offices and communities—particularly after a Culture Amp survey showed employees didn’t feel as open and honest as the company wanted.

Airbnb responded with clearer, faster internal communication (bi‑weekly world meetings and rapid exec summaries), a dialogue tool called “elephants, dead fish and vomit,” an employee intranet and a global “ground control” team to bring culture to life. They reinforced values through values-focused hiring, a week-long onboarding, and large All‑Hands (One Airbnb) meetups and local events. The result was stronger two‑way communication, deeper employee belonging and alignment with the company mission, and more engaged, values-driven teams connected to hosts and guests worldwide.

Airbnb

Mark Levy

Global Head of Employee Experience