Airbnb Tech Hub To Bring 'Hundreds' Of Jobs To Atlanta

ATLANTA — Airbnb is bringing its new technology hub to Atlanta with a plan to eventually host “hundreds” of tech and non-technical jobs.

The San Francisco-based travel and vacation rental platform plans to grow into a significant part of the city, a statement released Thursday said.

“Today, we are excited to share that we are opening a technical hub in the City of Atlanta, the first step in a broader commitment to a long-term presence in the area,” the statement read. “This hub will be home to one of our product development teams, as well as a variety of others. We anticipate our Atlanta office will become the regional base for hundreds of technical and non-technical roles over time.”

A key focus of the move to Atlanta is the ability to exercise inclusive hiring practices from a city with a diverse workforce.

“When we began evaluating locations for a new technical hub, we were looking for a city that shared our commitment to diversity and inclusion, a city with a robust and diverse technical talent pool, and a city with great quality of life,” Airbnb Public Policy Director Laphonza Butler said in a statement. “One of the things that stood out about Atlanta was its strong educational infrastructure supporting communities of color. Atlanta is an ideal place to grow our team and business and we are thrilled to be setting down roots in the city.”

An established partnership with the NAACP and a new one announced in December with the Russell Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation — a minority small business incubator Atlanta-based black-owned real estate development company H.J. Russell & Co. — demonstrate just this type of commitment.

But plans to reinvest in the community will take on an additional path that could be beneficial to the region, spokeswoman Laura Rillos said.

“If any economic incentives or credits are associated with the location, Airbnb will donate them back to the City of Atlanta for community impact initiatives,” Rillos said via email.

Although a location and date for moving haven’t been determined Rillos said Airbnb will establish the hub “later this year.”