Skift Take
Chesky helped build an industry from scratch and is more than willing to share what he’s learned with other founders.
Key Points
Summary
Brian Chesky, co-founder of Airbnb, has significantly influenced the travel and tech sectors. Under his leadership, Airbnb overcame early profitability doubts to generate substantial net income in 2022. Chesky played a crucial role in the reinstatement of Sam Altman as CEO of OpenAI and has ambitious plans for integrating AI into Airbnb, though some initiatives have seen delays. Despite facing criticisms and regulatory challenges, Airbnb continues to grow, with Chesky actively working on issues like pricing transparency and cleaning fees.
Power is not just about who holds the top job but who shapes the landscape, drives innovation, and sets the agenda for what comes next. With that in mind, we proudly present Skift’s Power Rankings — our list of the most powerful leaders in travel.
Brian Chesky, who co-founded Airbnb along with Nathan Blecharczyk and Joe Gebbia, changed the world – or at least how many of us travel through it.
Since its founding in 2007, Airbnb has become a household name brand around the world, and Chesky, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, wields considerable influence in travel and tech.
When the OpenAI board fired CEO Sam Altman in late 2023, it was Chesky who advised him and successfully helped rally support for his reinstatement. Altman also credited Chesky for counseling him on how to prepare for looming regulatory issues related to generative AI.
Prior to Airbnb’s historic 2020 IPO, critics wondered if the company would ever be profitable, and whether regulators would crush its growth. But in 2022, Airbnb generated $1.9 billion in net income, its first full year of profitability on a GAAP basis.
Airbnb has its share of critics, who contend that the company contributes to overtourism and that short-term rentals drive up housing costs for locals. From New York City to Barcelona and countless other cities, regulators are trying to put the brakes on Airbnb.
Despite regulatory headwinds, Chesky passionately argues that the company has plenty of room to grow.
Chesky tends to get out ahead of himself. For example, in early 2023 he told an investment conference that adding sponsored listings — a potentially huge advertising play — was “absolutely on the horizon.” A year later, Airbnb’s CFO said there were other priorities.
In May 2023, Chesky told Skift that a year later “you’re going to see a whole new Airbnb. AI’s going to be at the center of it.” He now says it will take “years.”
On the other hand, Chesky was out front on a pledge to introduce total price displays including all fees (but excluding taxes) in late 2022. And he has tried to tackle the problem of sometimes-exorbitant cleaning fees. Airbnb said this year that on 40% of its listings there are no cleaning fees, and 300,000 hosts reduced or eliminated them.
Brian Chesky at Skift Global Forum
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Tags: airbnb, dwell, skift power rankings