A message to Airbnb employees about the crisis in Israel and Gaza

Yesterday, Airbnb’s CFO & Head of Employee Experience Dave Stephenson sent the following email to our employees around the globe. 

Hi team, 

We have all witnessed the horrors inflicted on Israeli citizens over the weekend. I want to take this moment to unequivocally condemn Hamas’ terrorist attacks. The targeting of civilians is unconscionable. Brian and I, and the rest of Eteam, express our deepest sympathies to everyone affected by these tragic events, and we mourn the loss of innocent lives. 

We’re closely monitoring the situation, and we are prioritizing the safety of our team, our Hosts, and our guests. We are providing support to the small number of contingent workers in the region. And on Monday, we activated our Extenuating Circumstances policy allowing penalty-free cancellations. 

As part of our ongoing efforts to combat hate in all forms, Airbnb has long-standing relationships with key civil rights organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Muslim Advocates, among others. With the increase in anti-Semitism, anti-Arab sentiment, and Islamophobia around the world, partnerships like these have never been more important. 

Within our own team, it’s incredibly important that we take care of ourselves and each other. Please be kind to yourself, find time to process in whatever way you need, and check in on one another. I also want to thank members of Jewish@, Arabs@, and Muslims@ who are caring for our internal communities that are going through so much right now.

Dave