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Airbnb files for IPO that was ‘hard to imagine’ a few months ago

Home rentals are thought to be picking up amid pandemic, and highly valued startup is now planning an IPO instead of a direct listing

What a difference a few months makes: Home-rental company Airbnb announced on 19 August that it has confidentially filed for an initial public offering.

The San Francisco-based startup was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic as travel came to a halt in many parts of the world in March, with its valuation reportedly dropping from $31bn to $18bn a month later.

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