Airbnb 'acqui-hires' its React Native partner Deco Software

San Francisco-based Airbnb known for its cheap lodging and home rental solutions has acquired its React Native partner Deco Software to expand its platform and how it works with developers to build services on it.

Deco Software that helped Airbnb’s in their React Native work developed an integrated development environment (IDE) to build React Native apps, specifically to help developers collaborate more closely with designers on building native mobile apps for iOS and Android. All this enables the development process to be cohesive and restricted in one location, making it easier to access, collaborate and contribute.

"We found an ally and partner in Airbnb. As we began to collaborate with the teams at Airbnb that are working on design tools and React Native, it became clear that Airbnb was the perfect place for us to continue our journey," Deco's team said in an official statement.

According to the TechCrunch report, it is actually an “acqui-hire” as the full team of around five employees will be joining Airbnb, working on the Design Tools and Experience Architecture.

Also, Deco is ending support for Deco IDE as a product and open sourcing it. “It will live on as a free and open source project,” the company’s founders wrote in a note confirming the acquisition.

Deco Software is Airbnb’s 14th acquisition, and like its most recent purchase, Tilt, it is more aimed at platform development than expanding its consumer footprint.