Where was my invite to the — wait, what? Airbnb had a gala?

Airbnb’s nonprofit held its inaugural gala on Wednesday in Los Angeles, and the internet had one reaction — the *what* gala? Airbnb’s nonprofit held its inaugural gala on Wednesday in Los Angeles, and the internet had one reaction — the what gala? realizing i’m the first person in my bloodline to read the words ‘airbnb gala red carpet’ one after anotherthey’re just making up events for anything now https://t.co/wwRDmA7Wfo In case you missed it, back in 2020, Airbnb launched a nonprofit that provides free and temporary housing to families impacted by crisis or disaster. Its gala makes sense, actually, in that significant causes often throw splashy events to please big donors.

In a press release shared with TechCrunch this week, Airbnb noted that the gala marked the launch of a new initiative for the nonprofit, in which Airbnb will start donating a portion of its commercial revenue from each stay booked starting from the day of the gala, October 28. The cut amounts to 10 cents, to be exact, but Airbnb did make $12.2 billion in revenue last year. This initiative will help generate $500 million that will then go to the nonprofit over the next five years to help it provide free housing for 1 million nights each year, per the release. It will also let the company expand