Airbnb picks China head to compete with local rivals, but is it too late?
Move may come too late in the mainland market, which so far does not have any success stories involving foreign internet companies, says analyst
Airbnb has finally appointed its head of mainland business, two years after the US home-sharing giant entered the country, as it moves to ramp up business in a market dominated by domestic rivals.
The company has promoted Ge Hong, formerly the product and engineering head of Airbnb China, to be the global vice-president overseeing business development on the mainland, it said in a statement on Thursday.
“We believe Ge’s expertise and experience will inject strong momentum for Airbnb’s China business,” the company said.
A graduate of Yale University with a masters degree in computer science, Ge joined Airbnb China last year and is now the highest-ranking executive at the company.
Ge, who had previously worked at Facebook and Google, will directly report to Airbnb chief executive Brian Chesky.
Entering the mainland in 2015, Airbnb has seen its business expansion inch forward in the country because local competitors already offer Airbnb-like operations being the first to deliver their services in the country.