Airbnb plans temporary downtown San Jose office

US: Airbnb has announced it intends to open a downtown San Jose office as it seeks to revolutionise vacations and getaways.

Airbnb said it wants to tap into the world-class tech workforce in the San Jose surrounding area.

Chief technology officer Ari Balogh told Mercury News: “The South Bay provides a strong talent pool to support our business and we look forward to growing our team.”

Airbnb said it would open the temporary office in San Jose as part of a broader commitment to expand its workforce and presence across the Bay Area.

Joy Zhang, who is listed as head of the AI lab for Airbnb, revealed the news of Airbnb’s presence in Silicon Valley.

Zhang said in a statement on LinkedIn: “Airbnb is opening an Airbnb product development office in the South Bay, starting with a temporary location in San Jose.”

The temporary location in San Jose will be at Riverpark Tower at 333 W. San Carlos St. The offices will be opening through an arrangement with WeWork, the shared space working company which has recently re-branded itself as We Company.

Airbnb said: “The WeWork Riverpark Tower location will serve as a temporary office while the company looks for permanent space in the South Bay in 2020.”

About 50 Airbnb employees will work at the new location. The company did not disclose the size of the future Silicon Valley workforce or how many permanent locations might be pursued in the South Bay.

Airbnb added: “The new space is expected to open in the first quarter of 2019 and the company is actively recruiting to fill some of those open roles, including positions in engineering and recruitment.”

The company described the downtown San Jose location as the start of a broader commitment by Airbnb to grow its footprint in the South Bay region in the coming years. Airbnb said it wants to create high-quality jobs that support the region’s tech industry.

The new office space will be part of Airbnb’s network of 34 regional offices in five continents worldwide.