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.
