From “The Way Forward" Conference: Sarah Friar, CEO, Nextdoor

Usage Surge & Shift to Daily Habit:

• Nextdoor usage increased by 80% month-over-month between February and March 2020.
• By May, daily active members exceeded the rate of new member acquisition by more than 2x, indicating a permanent shift to daily utility rather than weekly/monthly usage.
• The platform currently operates in over 265,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries.

Product Responses to the Crisis:

• Launched "Help Map" and "Help Groups" to facilitate neighbor-to-neighbor assistance, such as grocery runs and prescription pickups.
• Introduced features to flag local businesses offering gift cards, takeout, and delivery to support cash flow during revenue drops.
• Formally launched an "engagement bundle" allowing small businesses to post dynamic updates (e.g., safety protocols, menu changes) immediately visible to all local neighbors without needing to build a follower base.

Small Business Impact:

• Small businesses faced a 100% revenue drop, far exceeding the 20-30% recession planning expectations.
• 44% of Black-owned businesses in states like California reported zero business activity between February and April.
• 70% of small businesses reported needing to pivot their business models to survive.

Racism and Social Equity Initiatives:

• Nextdoor adopted an unequivocal stance against racism, aligning with its mission to "cultivate a kinder world."
• Leveraged research from Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt to implement friction in the posting process, prompting users to question their biases before posting.
• This specific "slow down" feature reduced racial profiling posts by 70% in 2015 and remains a core safety mechanism.
• The CEO emphasizes that the neighborhood is the primary unit for driving grassroots social change.

Misinformation and Privacy Strategy:

• Implemented prompts requiring users to source COVID-19 information, highlighting credible sources like the CDC.
• Prioritized verified government agencies (e.g., UK Government, French Health Ministry) with boosted visibility in feeds.
• Maintains a "frictionful" verification process requiring users to confirm physical residency to build trust and enable sensitive local conversations.
• The platform strictly prohibits discriminatory or hate speech while encouraging civil discourse.

Leadership Philosophy Evolution:

• CEO Sarah Levison shifts focus from purely shareholder value to a broader stakeholder model, citing the company's top values as "earn trust" and "invest in community."
• Emphasizes extreme transparency, including sharing board materials with all employees prior to board meetings.
• Prioritizes "ask me anything" sessions at the grassroots level to mitigate the stress of the pandemic and break down hierarchy barriers.
• Cultivated empathy by personally visiting neighbors in every operational country to understand local community dynamics.

Emerging Long-Term Tech Trends:

• Rise of Local: Accelerated shift toward local pickup, delivery, and reliance on local commerce over large centralized brands.
• The Considered Consumer: Increased focus on reuse, recycling, repurposing, and local climate action due to post-pandemic reflection on consumption habits.
• Virtual Infrastructure: A 70x increase in virtual healthcare visits over three months, suggesting a permanent normalization of remote care and potential long-term decreases in commute-based car usage.
• Hybrid Work Models: Anticipation of a blended approach to work-life rather than 100% remote permanence, driven by a need to rebuild "social capital."