Airbnb Inc.
11/06/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/06/2025 15:03
Quarterly Report for Quarter Ending September 30, 2025 (Form 10-Q)
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and with our audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 ("2024 Annual Report"). This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under the section titled "Risk Factors" of our 2024 Annual Report. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any period in the future.
Overview
We are a community based on connection and belonging-a community that was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country and region across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays, experiences, and services that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.
We have five stakeholders and we have designed our Company with all of them in mind. Along with employees and shareholders, we serve hosts, guests, and the communities in which they live. We intend to make long-term decisions considering all of our stakeholders because their collective success is key for our business to thrive.
Third Quarter Financial Highlights
Revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2025 grew by 10% to $4.1 billion, compared to the same period in the prior year. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the number of check-ins relating to Nights and Seats Booked and a modest increase in Average Daily Rate ("ADR").
Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2025 increased slightly by $6 million to $1.4 billion, compared to the same period in the prior year. This increase was primarily due to revenue growth, largely offset by an increase in payroll-related expenses, lower interest income due to declining interest rates, and an increase to the income tax provision due to the recording of a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets associated with corporate alternative minimum tax ("CAMT") credits.
Cash provided by operating activities was $1.4 billion for the three months ended September 30, 2025, compared to $1.1 billion in the same period in the prior year. Free Cash Flow1was $1.3 billion for the three months ended September 30, 2025, compared to $1.1 billion in the same period in the prior year.
During the three months ended September 30, 2025, we repurchased 6.7 million shares of Class A common stock for $857 million, leaving $6.6 billion available to repurchase under our share repurchase programs.
Macroeconomic and Geopolitical Conditions on our Business
As we look forward, we recognize the potential impact of challenging macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions on our business, including inflation, interest rates, foreign currency fluctuations, tariffs and trade controls, and potential decreased consumer spending. To date, these conditions have not had a material impact on our business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition; however, the impact in the future of these macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions on our business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition is uncertain and will depend on future developments that we may not be able to accurately predict.
Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We track the following key business metrics and financial measures that are not calculated and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") ("non-GAAP financial measures") to evaluate our operating performance, identify trends, formulate financial projections, and make strategic decisions. Accordingly, we believe that these key business metrics and non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our results of operations in the same manner as our management team. We believe that non-GAAP financial information, when taken collectively, may be helpful to investors because it provides consistency and comparability with past financial performance, and assists in comparisons with other companies, some of which use similar non-GAAP financial information to supplement their U.S. GAAP results.
These key business metrics and non-GAAP financial measures are presented for supplemental informational purposes only, should not be considered a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and may be different from similarly titled metrics or measures presented by other companies. A reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable financial measure stated in accordance with U.S. GAAP is provided under the subsection titled "- Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation" and "- Free Cash Flow Reconciliation" below. Investors are encouraged to review the related U.S. GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures.
1A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures is provided under the subsection titled "Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures- Free Cash Flow Reconciliation" below.
Key Business Metrics
We review the following key business metrics to measure our performance, identify trends, formulate financial projections, and make strategic decisions. We are not aware of any uniform standards for calculating these key metrics, which may hinder comparability with other companies that may calculate similarly titled metrics in a different way.
The following table summarizes our key business metrics, for each period presented below (in millions, except percentages):
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
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| 2024 | 2025 | % Change | 2024 | 2025 | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Nights and Seats Booked
|
123 | 134 | 9 | % | 381 | 411 | 8 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Gross Booking Value | $ | 20,085 | $ | 22,892 | 14 | % | $ | 64,223 | $ | 70,855 | 10 | % | |||||||||||
Nights and Seats Booked
Nights and Seats Booked is a key measure of the scale of our platform, which in turn drives our financial performance. Nights and Seats Booked on our platform in a period represents the sum of the total number of nights booked for stays and the total number of seats booked for experiences and services, net of cancellations and alterations that occurred in that period. For example, a booking made on February 15 would be reflected in Nights and Seats Booked for our quarter ended March 31. If, in the example, the booking were canceled on May 15, Nights and Seats Booked would be reduced by the cancellation for our quarter ended June 30. A night can include one or more guests and can be for a listing with one or more bedrooms. Nights and Seats Booked grows as we attract new customers to our platform and as repeat guests increase their activity on our platform. A seat is booked for each participant in an experience or service. Substantially all of the bookings on our platform to date have come from nights. We believe Nights and Seats Booked is a key business metric to help investors and others understand and evaluate our results of operations in the same manner as our management team, as it represents a single unit of transaction on our platform.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, the increase in Nights and Seats Booked, compared to the same periods in the prior year, was driven by growth across all regions, with the strongest growth percentages in Latin America and Asia Pacific, as we continue to focus on international expansion.
Gross Booking Value
GBV represents the dollar value of bookings on our platform in a period and is inclusive of host earnings, service fees, cleaning fees, and taxes, net of cancellations and alterations that occurred during that period. The timing of recording GBV and any related cancellations is similar to that described in the subsection titled "- Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures - Nights and Seats Booked" above. Revenue from the booking is recognized upon check-in; accordingly, GBV is a leading indicator of revenue. The entire amount of a booking is reflected in GBV during the quarter in which booking occurs, whether the guest pays the entire amount of the booking upfront or elects to use our Pay Less Upfront program. Growth in GBV reflects our ability to attract and retain customers and reflects growth in Nights and Seats Booked.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, the increase in GBV, compared to the same periods in the prior year, was primarily due to an increase in Nights and Seats Booked. We saw GBV growth across all regions, with the strongest growth percentages in Latin America and Asia Pacific.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Our non-GAAP financial measures include Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Free Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow Margin, which are described below. A reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable financial measure stated in accordance with U.S. GAAP is provided below. Investors are encouraged to review the related U.S. GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin have limitations as a financial measure, should be considered as supplemental in nature, and are not meant as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin should be considered alongside other financial performance measures, including net income and net income margin as well as our other U.S. GAAP results. Free Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow Margin have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of other U.S. GAAP financial measures, such as net cash provided by operating activities and net cash provided by operating activities margin. Free Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow Margin do not reflect our ability to meet future contractual commitments and may be calculated differently by other companies in our industry, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.
| Non-GAAP Measure | Definition | Purpose of Non-GAAP Measure | ||||||
|
Adjusted EBITDA & Adjusted EBITDA Margin |
Adjusted EBITDA: Net income adjusted for:
•provision for income taxes,
•other income (expense), net,
•interest income,
•depreciation and amortization,
•stock-based compensation expense,
•acquisition-related impacts consisting of gains (losses) recognized on changes in the fair value of contingent consideration arrangements,
•lodging taxes for which we may have joint and several liability with hosts for collecting and remitting such taxes, withholding taxes on payments made to hosts and any related settlements, and transactional taxes where there is significant uncertainty as to how the taxes apply to our platform, and
•stock-settlement obligations, which represent employer and related taxes related to our Initial Public Offering ("IPO").
Adjusted EBITDA Margin: Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue.
|
•Enhances comparability on a consistent basis and provides investors with useful insight into the underlying trends of the business.
•Used by management to make operating decisions such as evaluating performance, performing strategic planning, and budgeting.
|
||||||
| Free Cash Flow & Free Cash Flow Margin |
Free Cash Flow: Net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property and equipment.
Free Cash Flow Margin:Free Cash Flow divided by revenue.
|
•Indicator of liquidity that provides information to our management and investors about the amount of cash generated from operations, after purchases of property and equipment, that can be used for strategic initiatives.
•Used by management to measure operational performance, to assess our ability to generate cash from ongoing business operations, and to make decisions about capital allocation.
|
||||||
|
Constant currency revenue growth rate
|
The change in the current period revenue over the prior comparable period where current period foreign currency revenue is translated using the exchange rates of the comparative period.
|
•Enhances comparability and provides investors with useful insight into the operational changes in revenue.
•Used by management for financial and operational decision-making and as a means to evaluate performance by excluding the effects of foreign currency volatility which is not indicative of our core operating results.
|
||||||
The following table summarizes our non-GAAP financial measures, along with the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure (in millions, except percentages):
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 1,368 | $ | 1,374 | $ | 2,187 | $ | 2,170 | |||||||||
| Net income margin | 37 | % | 34 | % | 25 | % | 23 | % | |||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 1,958 | $ | 2,051 | $ | 3,276 | $ | 3,511 | |||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA Margin | 52 | % | 50 | % | 38 | % | 37 | % | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 1,078 | $ | 1,356 | $ | 4,052 | $ | 4,120 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities margin | 29 | % | 33 | % | 47 | % | 44 | % | |||||||||
| Free Cash Flow | $ | 1,074 | $ | 1,349 | $ | 4,026 | $ | 4,092 | |||||||||
| Free Cash Flow Margin | 29 | % | 33 | % | 47 | % | 43 | % | |||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation
The following is a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA (in millions, except percentages):
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 3,732 | $ | 4,095 | $ | 8,622 | $ | 9,463 | |||||||||
| Net income | $ | 1,368 | $ | 1,374 | $ | 2,187 | $ | 2,170 | |||||||||
| Adjusted to exclude the following: | |||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 367 | 418 | 522 | 574 | |||||||||||||
|
Other (income) expense, net
|
(3) | 13 | 49 | 74 | |||||||||||||
| Interest income | (207) | (180) | (635) | (543) | |||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 15 | 22 | 43 | 68 | |||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | 362 | 399 | 1,039 | 1,181 | |||||||||||||
|
Acquisition-related impacts
|
(2) | 1 | 5 | (1) | |||||||||||||
|
Lodging taxes, host withholding taxes, and transactional taxes, net
|
58 | 4 | 66 | (7) | |||||||||||||
|
Stock-settlement obligations related to IPO
|
- | - | - | (5) | |||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 1,958 | $ | 2,051 | $ | 3,276 | $ | 3,511 | |||||||||
|
Adjusted EBITDA Margin
|
52 | % | 50 | % | 38 | % | 37 | % | |||||||||
The above items are excluded from our Adjusted EBITDA measure because they are non-cash in nature, or because the amount and timing of these items are unpredictable, not driven by core results of operations, and renders comparisons with prior periods and competitors less meaningful.
The increase in Adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, compared to the same periods in the prior year, was primarily due to revenue growth from an increase in the number of check-ins for Nights and Seats Booked and a slight increase in ADR.
Free Cash Flow Reconciliation
The following is a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to Free Cash Flow (in millions, except percentages):
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 3,732 | $ | 4,095 | $ | 8,622 | $ | 9,463 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 1,078 | $ | 1,356 | $ | 4,052 | $ | 4,120 | |||||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (4) | (7) | (26) | (28) | |||||||||||||
| Free Cash Flow | $ | 1,074 | $ | 1,349 | $ | 4,026 | $ | 4,092 | |||||||||
|
Free Cash Flow Margin
|
29 | % | 33 | % | 47 | % | 43 | % | |||||||||
Our Free Cash Flow is impacted by the timing of GBV because we collect our service fees at the time of booking, which is generally before a stay or experience occurs. Funds held on behalf of our customers and amounts payable to our customers do not impact Free Cash Flow, except interest earned on these funds.
Constant Currency
In addition to revenue growth rates derived from revenue presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we disclose the percentage change in our current period revenue from the corresponding prior period by comparing the change in revenue using constant currencies. We present constant currency revenue growth rate information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying revenue performed excluding the effect of changes in exchange rates. We use the percentage change in constant currency revenues for financial and operational decision-making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. We believe the presentation of revenue on a constant currency basis in addition to the U.S. GAAP presentation helps improve the ability to understand our performance because it excludes the effects of foreign currency volatility that are not indicative of our core operating results.
Seasonality
Our business is seasonal, reflecting typical travel behavior patterns over the course of the calendar year. In a typical year, the first, second, and third quarters have higher Nights and Seats Booked than the fourth quarter, as guests plan for travel during the peak travel season, which is in the third quarter for North America and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Our key business metrics, including GBV and Adjusted EBITDA, can also be impacted by the timing of holidays and other events. We experience seasonality in our GBV that is generally consistent with the seasonality of Nights and Seats Booked. Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA have historically been, and are expected to continue to be, highest in the third quarter when we have the most check-ins, which is the point at which we recognize revenue. Seasonal trends in our GBV impact Free Cash Flow for any given quarter. A significant portion of our costs are relatively fixed across quarters or vary in line with the volume of transactions, and we historically achieve our highest GBV in the first and second quarters of the year with comparatively lower check-ins. As a result, increases in unearned fees typically make our Free Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow Margin the highest in the first two quarters of the year. We typically see a slight decline in GBV and a peak in check-ins in the third quarter, which results in a decrease in unearned fees, a lower sequential decrease in Free Cash Flow, and a greater decline in GBV in the fourth quarter, where Free Cash Flow is typically lower.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth our results of operations (in millions, except percentages):
| Three Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | % of Revenue | 2025 | % of Revenue | % Change | |||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 3,732 | 100 | % | $ | 4,095 | 100 | % | 10 | % | |||||||||||||
| Costs and expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | 465 | 12 | 549 | 13 | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Operations and support(1)
|
369 | 10 | 365 | 9 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Product development(1)
|
524 | 14 | 587 | 14 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Sales and marketing(1)
|
514 | 14 | 639 | 16 | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
General and administrative(1)
|
335 | 9 | 330 | 8 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total costs and expenses | 2,207 | 59 | 2,470 | 60 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Income from operations | 1,525 | 41 | 1,625 | 40 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income | 207 | 6 | 180 | 4 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 3 | - | (13) | - | (533) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 1,735 | 47 | 1,792 | 44 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 367 | 10 | 418 | 10 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 1,368 | 37 | % | $ | 1,374 | 34 | % | - | % | |||||||||||||
(1)Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows (in millions, except percentages):
| Three Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 |
% of Total
|
2025 |
% of Total
|
% Change | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operations and support | $ | 22 | 6 | % | $ | 22 | 6 | % | - | % | |||||||||||||
| Product development | 230 | 63 | 254 | 63 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 43 | 12 | 54 | 14 | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 67 | 19 | 69 | 17 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | $ | 362 | 100 | % | $ | 399 | 100 | % | 10 | % | |||||||||||||
The following table sets forth our results of operations (in millions, except percentages):
| Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | % of Revenue | 2025 | % of Revenue | % Change | |||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 8,622 | 100 | % | $ | 9,463 | 100 | % | 10 | % | |||||||||||||
| Costs and expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | 1,451 | 16 | 1,599 | 16 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Operations and support(1)
|
992 | 12 | 1,000 | 11 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Product development(1)
|
1,518 | 18 | 1,765 | 19 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Sales and marketing(1)
|
1,601 | 19 | 1,893 | 20 | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
General and administrative(1)
|
937 | 11 | 931 | 10 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total costs and expenses | 6,499 | 76 | 7,188 | 76 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Income from operations | 2,123 | 24 | 2,275 | 24 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income | 635 | 7 | 543 | 6 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | (49) | - | (74) | (1) | (51) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 2,709 | 31 | 2,744 | 29 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 522 | 6 | 574 | 6 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 2,187 | 25 | % | $ | 2,170 | 23 | % | (1) | % | |||||||||||||
(1)Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows (in millions, except percentages):
| Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 |
% of Total
|
2025 |
% of Total
|
% Change | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operations and support | $ | 65 | 6 | % | $ | 66 | 6 | % | 2 | % | |||||||||||||
| Product development | 654 | 63 | 763 | 64 | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 124 | 12 | 150 | 13 | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 196 | 19 | 202 | 17 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | $ | 1,039 | 100 | % | $ | 1,181 | 100 | % | 14 | % | |||||||||||||
Comparison of the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 with the Same Periods in 2024
Revenue
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
||||||||||||||||||
| (in millions, except percentages) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 3,732 | $ | 4,095 | 10 | % | $ | 8,622 | $ | 9,463 | 10 | % | |||||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
Revenue increased $363 million, or 10%, primarily due to an increase in the number of check-ins relating to Nights and Seats Booked and a modest increase in ADR. On a constant-currency basis, revenue increased 10% compared to the same period in the prior year.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
Revenue increased $841 million, or 10%, primarily due to an increase in the number of check-ins relating to Nights and Seats Booked. On a constant-currency basis, revenue increased 10% compared to the same period in the prior year.
Cost of Revenue
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
||||||||||||||||||
| (in millions, except percentages) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 465 | $ | 549 | 18 | % | $ | 1,451 | $ | 1,599 | 10 | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | 12 | % | 13 | % | 16 | % | 16 | % | |||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
Cost of revenue increased $84 million, or 18%, primarily due to a $78 million increase in merchant fees, largely due to higher pay-in volumes and a decrease in incentives from card-processor credits in the prior year, and a $7 million increase in amortization costs related to capitalized internal-use software projects.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
Cost of revenue increased $148 million, or 10%, primarily due to a $130 million increase in merchant fees, largely due to higher pay-in volumes, a $26 million increase in amortization costs related to capitalized internal-use software projects, and a $24 million increase in data hosting services. These increases were partially offset by a reduction in chargebacks of $26 million and a reduction in other service costs of $11 million, which includes authentication, translation, and SMS services.
Operations and Support
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
||||||||||||||||||
| (in millions, except percentages) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operations and support | $ | 369 | $ | 365 | (1) | % | $ | 992 | $ | 1,000 | 1 | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | 10 | % | 9 | % | 12 | % | 11 | % | |||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
Operations and support expense decreased $4 million, or 1%, primarily due to a $17 million decrease in customer relations costs resulting from lower refunds and credits related to customer satisfaction, partially offset by an increase in payroll-related expenses of $7 million, an increase in insurance costs of $3 million, due to higher premiums as a result of higher nights booked, and a $3 million increase in expensed software and equipment.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
Operations and support expense increased $8 million, or 1%, primarily due to a $21 million increase in payroll-related expenses, an increase in insurance costs of $15 million, due to higher premiums as a result of higher nights booked, an $8 million increase in allocated costs for facilities and information technology, and an increase in expensed software and equipment of $7 million. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in third-party customer service costs of $25 million, due to ongoing partner site optimization, and a $21 million decrease in customer relations costs resulting from lower refunds and credits related to customer satisfaction.
Product Development
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
||||||||||||||||||
| (in millions, except percentages) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Product development | $ | 524 | $ | 587 | 12 | % | $ | 1,518 | $ | 1,765 | 16 | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | 14 | % | 14 | % | 18 | % | 19 | % | |||||||||||||||
Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 with the Same Periods in 2024
Product development expense increased $63 million, or 12%, and $247 million, or 16%, primarily due to a $64 million and $231 million increase in payroll-related expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, respectively, driven by an increase in average headcount.
Sales and Marketing
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
||||||||||||||||||
| (in millions, except percentages) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brand and performance marketing | $ | 332 | $ | 380 | 14 | % | $ | 1,086 | $ | 1,204 | 11 | % | |||||||||||
| Field operations and policy | 182 | 259 | 42 | % | 515 | 689 | 34 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Total sales and marketing | $ | 514 | $ | 639 | 24 | % | $ | 1,601 | $ | 1,893 | 18 | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | 14 | % | 16 | % | 19 | % | 20 | % | |||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
Sales and marketing expense increased $125 million, or 24%, primarily due to a $45 million increase in marketing activities, a $32 million increase in payroll-related expenses, and a $31 million increase in third-party service provider expenses related to our product launch and other initiatives.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
Sales and marketing expense increased $292 million, or 18%, primarily due to a $98 million increase in marketing activities, an $80 million increase in third-party service provider expenses, primarily related to our product launch, and a $78 million increase in payroll-related expenses.
General and Administrative
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
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| (in millions, except percentages) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 335 | $ | 330 | (1) | % | $ | 937 | $ | 931 | (1) | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | 9 | % | 8 | % | 11 | % | 10 | % | |||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
General and administrative expense decreased $5 million, or 1%, primarily due to a $34 million decrease in non-income taxes, mainly reflecting a one-time charge related to digital services taxes ("DST") for France in the prior year. This was partially offset by an increase in payroll related expenses of $15 million and a $13 million increase in non-income tax-related fees and penalties.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
General and administrative expense decreased $6 million, or 1%, primarily due to a $65 million decrease in non-income taxes, mainly reflecting one-time adjustments applied to DST for France and Canada in the prior year. This was partially offset by an increase in payroll-related expenses of $31 million and an increase in professional service fees of $28 million.
Interest Income
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
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| 2024 | 2025 |
% Change
|
2024 | 2025 |
% Change
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| (in millions, except percentages) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income | $ | 207 | $ | 180 | (13) | % | $ | 635 | $ | 543 | (14) | % | |||||||||||
Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 with the Same Periods in 2024
Interest income decreased by $27 million, or 13%, and $92 million, or 14%, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, respectively, due to lower interest rates, partially offset by higher cash and investment balances.
Other Income (Expense), Net
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
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| 2024 | 2025 |
% Change
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2024 | 2025 |
% Change
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| (in millions, except percentages) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | $ | 3 | $ | (13) | (533) | % | $ | (49) | $ | (74) | 51 | % | |||||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
Other income (expense), net decreased $16 million, or 533%, primarily due to net foreign exchange losses of $19 million.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
Other income (expense), net increased $25 million, or 51%, primarily due to net foreign exchange losses of $39 million, partially offset by lower impairment charges on investments in privately-held companies compared to the prior year and a gain on investment in the current year.
Provision for Income Taxes
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
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| 2024 | 2025 |
% Change
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2024 | 2025 |
% Change
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| (in millions, except percentages) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | 367 | $ | 418 | 14 | % | $ | 522 | $ | 574 | 10 | % | |||||||||||
| Effective tax rate | 21 | % | 23 | % | 19 | % | 21 | % | |||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
The provision for income taxes increased by $51 million, or 14%, due to the recognition of a $213 million valuation allowance against deferred tax assets related to CAMT credits, partially offset by reduced taxes accrued driven by a larger foreign derived intangible income benefit and the release of a $60 million uncertain tax position relating to prior years. See Note 10, Income Taxes, to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information.
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the "OBBBA") was signed into law. Included in this legislation are provisions that allow for the immediate expensing of domestic U.S. research and development expenses and changes to the U.S. taxation of foreign derived intangible income. Following the enactment of the OBBBA during the quarter, management concluded it is no longer more-likely-than-not that we are able to utilize our historic CAMT credits. No prudent and feasible tax-planning strategies are currently available to utilize the existing CAMT credits. Our policy is to not consider the impact of future years' CAMT in our valuation allowance assessment for regular deferred tax assets. The amount of the valuation allowance may be adjusted in future quarters if estimates of future taxable income change. We will continue to evaluate the full impact of legislative changes as more guidance becomes available.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared with the Same Period in 2024
The provision for income taxes increased by $52 million, or 10%, due to the recognition of a $213 million valuation allowance against deferred tax assets related to CAMT credits, partially offset by reduced taxes accrued driven by a larger foreign derived intangible income benefit and the release of a $60 million uncertain tax position relating to prior years.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources and Conditions of Liquidity
As of September 30, 2025, our principal sources of liquidity were cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments totaling $11.7 billion. As of September 30, 2025, cash and cash equivalents totaled $7.5 billion, which included $2.5 billion held by our foreign subsidiaries. Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on deposit with banks and interest-bearing accounts and highly-liquid securities with an original maturity of 90 days or less. As of September 30, 2025, short-term investments totaled $4.2 billion. Short-term investments primarily consist of highly-liquid investment grade corporate debt securities, time deposits, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, U.S. government and government agency debt securities ("government bonds"), and mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. These short-term investments do not include funds of $7.2 billion as of September 30, 2025, that were held for bookings in advance of guests completing check-ins, which are recorded separately on our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets in funds receivable and amounts held on behalf of customers with a corresponding liability in funds payable and amounts payable to customers.
Our cash and cash equivalents are generally held at large global systemically important banks ("G-SIBs") which are subject to high capital requirements and are required to regularly perform stringent stress tests related to their ability to absorb capital losses. Our cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments held outside the U.S. may be repatriated, subject to certain limitations, and would be available to
be used to fund our domestic operations. However, repatriation of such funds may result in additional tax liabilities. We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments balances in the U. S. are sufficient to fund our working capital needs.
We have access to $1.0 billion of commitments and a $200 million sub-limit for the issuance of letters of credit under the 2022 Credit Facility. As of September 30, 2025, no amounts were drawn under the 2022 Credit Facility and outstanding letters of credit totaled $25 million. See Note 7, Debt, to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information.
Material Cash Requirements
As of September 30, 2025, we had outstanding $2.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of indebtedness of our 0% convertible senior notes due in March 2026. In March 2021, in connection with the pricing of the 2026 Notes, we entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions (the "Capped Calls") with certain of the initial purchasers and other financial institutions (the "option counterparties") at a cost of approximately $100 million. The cap price of the Capped Calls was $360.80 per share of Class A common stock, which represented a premium of 100% over the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock of $180.40 per share on March 3, 2021, subject to certain customary adjustments under the terms of the Capped Calls.
In June 2025, we signed a new enterprise agreement with a web-hosting service company for cloud hosting and related services to spend or incur an aggregate of at least $1.9 billion, which extends through 2031. Additionally, we signed a sponsorship agreement to spend or incur an aggregate of at least $55 million through 2027. See Note 9 Commitments and Contingencies, to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information regarding these commitments.
In February 2024, our board of directors approved a share repurchase program to purchase up to $6.0 billion of our Class A common stock. In August 2025, our board of directors approved a new share repurchase program with an authorization to purchase up to an additional $6.0 billion of our Class A common stock. Share repurchases under the share repurchase programs may be made through a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block trades, or accelerated share repurchase transactions or by any combination of such methods. Any such repurchases will be made from time to time subject to market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements, and other relevant factors. The share repurchase programs do not obligate us to repurchase any specific number of shares and may be modified, suspended, or terminated at any time at our discretion. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, we repurchased 6.7 million and 20.9 million shares of Class A common stock for $857 million and $2.7 billion, respectively, through our share repurchase programs. As of September 30, 2025, we had $6.6 billion available to repurchase shares of Class A common stock under our share repurchase programs.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows (in millions):
| Nine Months Ended September 30, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 4,052 | $ | 4,120 | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (396) | (448) | ||||||
|
Net cash used in financing activities
|
(2,242) | (2,377) | ||||||
|
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash
|
117 | 658 | ||||||
| Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | $ | 1,531 | $ | 1,953 | ||||
Net cash provided by operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $4.1 billion, which was primarily due to net income of $2.2 billion, and $233 million provided by net working capital items, including unearned fees, resulting from growth in bookings. Additionally, we had adjustments for non-cash charges primarily consisting of $1.2 billion of stock-based compensation expense.
Net cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $448 million, which was primarily due to purchases of short-term investments, partially offset by proceeds resulting from sales and maturities of short-term investments.
Net cash used in financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $2.4 billion, primarily due to share repurchases of $2.7 billion and taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards of $431 million, partially offset by an increase in funds payable and amounts payable to customers of $670 million.
The effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash on our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows relates to certain assets, principally cash balances held on behalf of customers, that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of certain of our subsidiaries. For the nine months ended September 30, 2025, we recorded an increase of $658 million in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, primarily due to the weakening of the U.S. dollar against major currencies, mainly the Euro and British Pound. The impact of exchange rate changes on cash balances can serve as a natural hedge for the effect of exchange rates on our liabilities to our hosts and guests.
We assess our liquidity in terms of our ability to generate cash to fund our short- and long-term cash requirements. As such, we believe that the cash flows generated from operating activities will meet our anticipated cash requirements in the short-term, which include the repayment of our 0% convertible senior notes due in March 2026. In addition to normal working capital requirements, we anticipate that our short- and long-term cash requirements will include share repurchases, introduction of new products and offerings, timing and extent of
spending to support our efforts to develop our platform, debt repayments, and expansion of sales and marketing activities. Our future capital requirements, however, will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to our growth, headcount, and ability to attract and retain customers on our platform. Additionally, we may in the future raise additional capital or incur additional indebtedness to continue to fund our strategic initiatives. On a long-term basis, we would rely on either our access to the capital markets or our credit facility for any long-term funding not provided by operating cash flows and cash on hand. In the event that additional financing is required from outside sources, we may seek to raise additional funds at any time through equity, equity-linked arrangements, and/or debt, which may not be available on favorable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired and at reasonable rates, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. Our liquidity is subject to various risks including the risks identified in Item 3. "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk" of Part 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, costs and expenses, and related disclosures. See Part II, Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our 2024 Annual Report for a discussion of the assumptions and judgments involved in our critical accounting estimates. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a description of recently adopted accounting pronouncements and recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted.
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