airbnb

Investor and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel is in talks with Airbnb about putting $150 million into the online room- and house-rental service, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

According to the Journal (subscription required), Thiel's Founders Fund and current Airbnb investors Andreessen Horowiz and Sequoia Capital are all expected to participate in the round, which would give Airbnb a valuation of about $2.5 billion.

"The talks represent a new milestone for Airbnb, a high-profile startup and one of the young technology companies that investors widely considered [to be] on deck to go public in the next year … Read more

Page, the CEO of Google, leapfrogged Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg for the No. 1 spot on Fortune's ranking of young business stars.

The publication notes that since Page returned to the CEO role last year, he has "been bent on proving Google still has its mojo." He closed Google's acquisition of Motorola, streamlined management and closed failing projects. All of that has pushed Google's stock to an all-time high.

Facebook … Read more

With Airbnb for Android, you can easily search for unique accommodations while on the go. If you have an account already set up, you can edit your profile, add favorite properties, and, of course, book a room. If you don't have an Airbnb account, you can still search through listings.

If you're not familiar with Airbnb, it's a marketplace where people can list and book unique accommodations around the world. Think vacant Manhattan apartment while its owner is away, or quirky London flat while it's not in use. In short, Airbnb is all about offering and … Read more

June is the perfect time for backyard barbecues, lemonade and tablet warfare:

Microsoft is taking tablets into its own hands with the Surface. And next week, so will Google. It's expected that Google will show off the Nexus tablet at its developers conference that begins next week. And some reports have Google's tablet launching in July -- which will likely be before the Surface hits stores.

The Surface boasts solid hardware, a kickstand and a cover that also serves as a keyboard. But how much will it cost? All we know is that the light version, using Windows … Read more

Airbnb, a service that helps travelers book places to stay that are rented out by homeowners, renters, and landlords, has reached a milestone.

The company announced today that 10 million nights have been booked on its service since its launch in 2008. To put that figure into perspective, Airbnb revealed that 2 million nights were booked last June, and it reached 5 million in January -- four years after its founding. Less than half a year later, it has tallied the same figure.

But before the company's growth is marveled at, it's worth noting that Airbnb in March acquired its largest U.K. competitor, Crashpadder, for an undisclosed sum. … Read more

In today's show, Facebook shareholders are fuming, Windows Phones need updating and Prime subscribers are streaming:

Facebook and several banks have been slapped with a lawsuit, accused of hiding some details about revenue estimates days before the stock went public. The charge is this: Facebook spoke with select analysts about additional information on revenue expectations than what was disclosed in amended filings. Smaller investors are upset they were left out of the loop, and say they lost money because they didn't know the full picture. But even if Facebook did give extra info to analysts, it's not … Read more

After the story of a ransacked home surfaced last year, accommodations marketplace Airbnb has decided to offer hosts security with promises of more money.

Airbnb committed to covering up to $1 million in damage resulting from a booking, up from its $50,000 "Host Guarantee," the company announced today.

It said the host guarantee, backed by Lloyd's of London, is not insurance, and it doesn't cover cash and securities, collectibles, rare artwork, jewelry, pets and personal liability. The company called the move "an unmatched level of protection in the industry."

When asked for comment, … Read more

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- The pace of startups popping up seems matched only by the emergence of new "incubators," or "accelerators," whichever word you chose to describe these startup boot camps that have cropped up across the country.

And Paul Graham, the man behind the grandaddy of them all, Y Combinator, barely pays attention to them. What he is convinced of, though, is that many will die, and that they're formed for the wrong reason.

"People are doing it because it's the cool thing to do," Graham told me during a break … Read more

Two of the largest accommodation booking sites used in the U.K. have teamed up for this summer's Olympic Games.

Airbnb--an online marketplace where travelers find and book places rented out by homeowners, renters, and landlords--announced today that it had acquired its largest U.K. competitor--Crashpadder. Rather than sleeping in hotels or couch surfing, travelers can short-term lease apartments, houses, condos, and even castles through these sites.

U.S.-based Airbnb launched in 2008 and has since grown to have an accommodation database that serves more than 19,000 cities in 192 countries and has booked more … Read more