Brian Chesky Is Launching a New AI Lab While Staying Airbnb CEO
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is moving beyond cheerleading for artificial intelligence from the sidelines. According to a report first broken by Bloomberg and confirmed by TechCrunch, Chesky is planning to launch a new AI lab, making the Brian Chesky AI lab one of the more surprising tech stories of the week.
What makes the move interesting is the context behind it. Chesky has long been skeptical of existing large language models. Airbnb adopted AI coding tools internally, but last year he said the company had not struck an LLM partnership because the available products simply weren’t ready enough. That skepticism now appears to have pushed him toward building something himself.
Chesky’s ties to the AI world run deep. He met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman back in 2006 through Y Combinator, the startup accelerator that helped launch Airbnb. The two stayed close as OpenAI grew into one of the most influential companies in tech, with Chesky regularly meeting Altman to share advice on navigating rapid growth. When OpenAI’s board famously fired Altman in 2023, Chesky was reportedly among those who helped rally support for his return, advising on public relations and working behind the scenes to restore confidence in him among key figures in Silicon Valley.
Now, the mentor is stepping into the arena his mentee helped build.
The specific focus of the Brian Chesky AI lab has not been officially confirmed, though Bloomberg’s report points to user interaction and design as likely areas of emphasis, themes Chesky has consistently championed at Airbnb. The approach draws a loose parallel to Hark, the AI lab founded by Brett Adcock that is building a novel interface for AI assistants and raised a $700 million Series A earlier this year.
Crucially, Chesky will not be running the new lab day to day. A person familiar with the matter told TechCrunch he intends to remain as CEO of Airbnb and will not take the lead role at the new operation, meaning whoever steps in to run it will do so with a famously hands-on founder watching closely from the chair.
Airbnb and Chesky’s representatives declined to comment.
