Airbnb manager said he was unlawfully fired despite ‘very positive’ performance review

An Airbnb manager took High Court action against the home rental website complaining that he was unlawfully fired without any warning that his performance was not up to expectations.Jonathan Pugliese, who led the company’s premium French support team in Ireland, complained that his dismissal was “unprofessional”, “disrespectful” and done in breach of Airbnb’s own policies. The global online home rental giant set up its European, Middle East and Africa headquarters in Dublin in 2016 and now employs about 400 staff out of its North Wall Quay headquarters.Pugliese took High Court proceedings against Airbnb Ireland Unlimited Company on July 29th seeking orders that his employment was still valid and that the decision to remove him was null and void. He sought orders requiring Airbnb to continue to pay his salary and bonuses and sought to restrain Airbnb from filling his position.READ MOREHe sought damages for the intentional infliction of “emotional suffering”, breach of contract and damage to his reputation. Judge Siobhán Stack granted Pugliese an interim injunction barring Airbnb from filling his position. When the case came back before Judge Michael Twomey on August 6th, he was told the interim injunction orders could be lifted as the case had been settled. Pugliese has since listed that he left Airbnb on his LinkedIn profile. The affidavit that the manager filed before the settlement gives an insight into Airbnb’s Dublin operation. Pugliese said he joined Airbnb on a contract of indefinite duration on August 25th, 2025, having previously worked at Apple and Amazon. He rents a property in Cork and also owns a property in Belgium.His role with Airbnb was Premium Support Delivery Manager for the French market with a base salary of €90,000. He was granted restricted stock worth $55,000 (€47,000) to be vested over three years. He received a $10,000 stock top up after working six months and had his salary increased to €91,500.In February, he had passed his six-month probation period and had a “very positive” performance review. He said his contract provided for “termination” by giving one month’s notice. The contract also specified that summary dismissal was allowed for “gross misconduct” but it also provided a right of appeal. Pugliese had several staff reporting to him but said Airbnb provided “limited training”. He relied upon his previous management experience with Amazon and Apple. He said his position was “challenging” as his own manager changed four times.He said no issues or concerns were ever raised with him, nor was he ever placed on a performance improvement plan. On July 15th, he was invited to a French team performance discussion. At the meeting a human resources manager told him that his performance was “not up to expectations” and his employment would be “terminated with immediate effect”. His access to internal systems were to be revoked. He was told there was “no room for discussion”. After the meeting he received an email from Maxime Quantin, a regional manager, confirming the dismissal and saying it followed “careful consideration” that determined he should be dismissed due to “ongoing unsatisfactory performance”.Pugliese said he was “shocked” by the allegations of poor performance, which were not discussed in detail at the earlier meeting. He said he was later asked to agree a settlement where he was offered a “modest” ex-gratia payment but he refused.He was “completely taken by surprise” as he had never been asked to discuss his performance or warned that improvement was necessary. Pugliese complained that Airbnb failed to follow its own policies of issuing verbal warnings prior to a decision to dismiss. He said the manner in which he was dealt with was “unprofessional, disrespectful and in breach of the defendant’s own policies”. The reasons given for his termination were “difficult to reconcile and is absent any factual justification”. He alleged Airbnb’s actions were “unlawful” and a breach of contract. Both Pugliese and Airbnb declined to comment on the case this week.