Airbnb continues hiring in Atlanta, picks spot for its tech hub

Airbnb Interlock Midtown
Airbnb will locate its Atlanta tech hub in the Interlock mixed-use development in Midtown, west of Georgia Tech (Emil Moffatt/WABE)

Airbnb says its first technology hub in the Southeast will be in Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood, just west of Georgia Tech’s campus.

The move is part of the short-term rental site company’s ongoing effort to build a more diverse workforce.

Airbnb first announced the hub last year and began hiring employees based in Atlanta.

Over the next three years, Airbnb wants to grow the percentage of underrepresented minorities in its U.S. workforce from 13% to 20%.

“Setting hard goals and putting actions behind them is really the only way towards creating an expanded workforce, diversity and expanding opportunities for people of all different backgrounds,” Airbnb’s Nia Brown said.

Brown is a graduate of Spelman College and joined the company last year. She says Atlanta can play a big role in Airbnb meeting its goal.

“This tech hub is envisioned to be a place where we can hire non-technical and technical-skilled workers from across the Atlanta area,” said Brown, who noted that Airbnb plans to eventually have “hundreds” of workers based here.

The hub will be located inside the Interlock at 14th Street and Howell Mill Road. It’s a mixed-use development of office space, restaurants, high-end apartments, a hotel and a planned grocery store.

An opening date for Airbnb’s hub still depends on the pandemic, Brown said.