Airbnb has raised several billion dollars from investors like one of Google's investment arms and the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and has been profitable. Overall, the company is valued at more than US$30 billion. Still, deal-makers and investors have speculated that Airbnb would pursue an IPO in the next few years to gain a stock that can be used as currency and to let existing holders sell out more easily, as well as to mark an important corporate milestone. Airbnb, which was founded in 2008, has already hired a chief financial officer with public company experience, Laurence Tosi, formerly of the Blackstone Group. Adding an independent director helps provide outside supervision of the company. And in Chenault, the company is gaining one of Wall Street's respected leaders. "Airbnb is built on trust," Mr Chesky wrote. "As the CEO of American Express, Ken has built one of the most successful trust-based companies in the world."