Jump to content

Brian Chesky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brian Chesky
Chesky in 2021
Born
Brian Joseph Chesky

(1981-08-29) August 29, 1981 (age 43)
Niskayuna, New York, U.S.
Citizenship
  • United States
  • France
  • Poland
[1]
EducationRhode Island School of Design (BFA)
Occupation(s)Airbnb CEO and co-founder

Brian Joseph Chesky (born August 29, 1981) is an American businessman and industrial designer and the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. Chesky is the 290th richest person in the world according to Forbes, with a net worth of $9.2 billion, largely due to his 10 percent ownership stake in Airbnb.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Brian Chesky was born on August 29, 1981,[3] in Niskayuna, New York, the son of Deborah and Robert Chesky;[4] His father is of Polish and his mother of French origin.[5] Chesky's parents were both social workers.[6][7] He has a younger sister, Allison.[6] Chesky enjoys sketching and bonsai.[8] He later acquired Polish and French citizenship through the naturalization of his parents.[9]

As a child, Chesky's first hobby was ice hockey. He developed an interest in art in his teens and cited Leonardo da Vinci as an early inspiration.[10] He drew replicas of paintings and redesigned toys and shoes. In an interview with The New York Times, he said he watched friends of his parents redesign their backyard, which led to an interest in landscape architecture and later urban planning.[11]

Education

[edit]

Chesky graduated from Niskayuna High School in 1999 and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in industrial design.[12][13][14] While studying at RISD, Chesky was influenced by the works of Charles Eames, Ray Eames, and Walt Disney.[15][16] He was captain of the RISD hockey team and was a competitive bodybuilder.[6][13] Chesky was also the designer of the unofficial mascot of RISD, Scrotie.[17]

Career

[edit]

Chesky moved to Los Angeles following graduation from RISD to work for 3DID as an industrial designer.[18]: 23–24  He designed toys, guitars, medical equipment, and other items at 3DID. Chesky became disillusioned with the job and long commutes, particularly after being part of a team that worked on the Pureflush toilet seat for the television show American Inventor. He reduced his hours at 3DID in 2007 to work on furniture designs.[19]: 22–24 

In October 2007, he moved to San Francisco to live with RISD classmate Joe Gebbia.[6] Chesky did not have enough money to pay his rent, and they opened their house to short-term renters as a bed and breakfast, providing air mattresses for guests to sleep on and Pop-Tarts for breakfast during the Industrial Designers Society of America conference, when hotel rooms were scarce. The business became Airbnb.[20][6]

Gebbia and Chesky asked Nathan Blecharczyk to work on a new website for the company, then known as Airbed & Breakfast.[18]: 12–13  The site launched before 2008's South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, and generated two bookings, one of which was Chesky. He met Michael Seibel at SXSW, who would later connect him with Y Combinator and led to significant investment for Airbnb.[19]: 29–30 [18]: 13–16  The company re-launched again before the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. It was featured in TechCrunch, driving so much traffic to the company website that it crashed.[18]: 19 [21] Chesky and his partners targeted microblogs to advertise the service, which led to a trickle-up to larger Denver-area publications including the Denver Post, then national publications including The New York Times. The strategy led to 800 room listings and 80 guest bookings.[18]: 19–20 

Chesky and Gebbia had US$20,000 in debt each after the Democratic National Convention. They developed and designed election-themed cereal boxes to generate funds. They purchased 1,000 boxes of commercial cereals and repackaged them as "Obama O's" and "Cap'n McCains". Sales of the rebranded cereal generated between US$20,000–US$30,000 and allowed the two to pay most of their debts.[19]: 34–36 [18]: 21–23 [22][23]

In early 2009, Chesky, Gebbia, and Blecharczyk enrolled in a Y Combinator startup course. The course provided US$20,000 in seed money and training from Paul Graham, among others, in exchange for a six-percent stake in the company.[18]: 23–25  Sequoia Capital partner Greg McAdoo invested US$585,000 in what was now known as Airbnb at the end of the course.[19]: 92-93 [18]: 30–31  The company continued to operate out of Chesky's and Gebbia's apartment, with Chesky eventually moving out to live in locations for rent on the platform.[19]: 95  He assumed the title of chief executive officer of Airbnb in fall 2010.[19]: 103  In 2011, Chesky and the cofounders decided against purchasing Wimdu, a rival firm heavily funded by Rocket Internet. Instead, Airbnb purchased Accoleo, a German imitator, and began a rapid expansion in Europe.[18]: 49–50 

Chesky wrote blog posts about Airbnb's efforts to rectify issues after a host's house was vandalized in 2011. He was criticized for his handling of the situation after his comments were publicly contradicted by the victim. This led to Chesky writing a public message acknowledging his failure, the expansion of the Airbnb customer service team, and the creation of a fund for hosts should similar situations arise in the future. According to journalist Leigh Gallagher, Chesky considered the moment a "rebirth" for Airbnb.[19]: 141–142, 144–145 [18]: 50–54 

In December 2020, Airbnb became a public company via an initial public offering.[24] Fortune ranked Chesky No. 43 on its "100 Most Powerful People in Business" in 2024.[25]

Founder mode

[edit]

In September 2024, Chesky gave a 2-hour talk at a Y Combinator event on his leadership style, later coined "founder mode" by American computer scientist Paul Graham in an essay.[26][27] Chesky's talk garnered attention quickly and became the subject of widespread discussion and memes.[28] Reactions were mixed, with some noting that women were not allowed to lead in founder mode in the same way as men,[29][30][31] while others criticized founder mode as "another misguided attempt to break down leadership into two binary personas" or a rebranding of micromanagement.[32][28] Chesky responded to these criticisms by saying that the viral nature of Graham's essay led to a mistaken association between founder mode and "swagger", noting that founder mode was about company leadership maintaining expertise in its products and projects instead of micromanaging employees, and that a cultural change was needed so women would feel empowered to use the founder mode approach in their leadership.[33][34][30]

Recognition

[edit]

In 2015, Chesky was included on the Forbes list of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40.[35] Chesky was recognized on the Time 100 for 2015.[24] In May 2015, President Barack Obama named Chesky a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship.[36] In 2016, Chesky was also named in the Youngest Forbes 400 list.[37] Chesky was named one of the "World's Greatest Leaders" in 2017 by Fortune.[38] He received an honorary doctorate from RISD that year.[39] In 2018, Chesky was named the Bay Area Executive of the Year by American City Business Journals.[40] In June 2022, Chesky was featured among the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality by the International Hospitality Institute.[41]

Philanthropy

[edit]

On June 11, 2016, Chesky joined Warren Buffett and Bill Gates' The Giving Pledge, a group of billionaires who have committed to giving the majority of their wealth away.[42] Chesky donated $10 million to nonprofit organizations supporting frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.[43] In 2022, Chesky was ranked No. 20 by contributions on the list of the 50 most prolific philanthropists in the United States by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.[44] In May 2022, Chesky pledged $100 million over five years to the Obama Foundation to launch a scholarship program for students pursuing careers in public service. The Voyager Scholarship aims to support students in their junior and senior year of college with up to $50,000 in financial aid, a $10,000 stipend, and free Airbnb housing to pursue a summer work-travel experience; a $2,000 travel credit every year for 10 years following graduation; an annual summit; and a network of mentors.[45]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Stone, Brad (February 2, 2017). The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World. Transworld. ISBN 9781473527027.
  2. ^ "Brian Chesky". Forbes. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  3. ^ "The CNBC Next List: Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia". CNBC. October 6, 2014.
  4. ^ "Harry Chesky Obituary". Times Union. October 4, 2008 – via Legacy.com.
  5. ^ Stone, Brad (February 2, 2017). The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World. Transworld. ISBN 9781473527027.
  6. ^ a b c d e Gallagher, Leigh (June 26, 2015). "The education of Airbnb's Brian Chesky". Fortune.
  7. ^ Cohen, Anne (April 16, 2015). "Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Amy Schumer and Bibi Make Time 100 List". The Forward.
  8. ^ Lagorio-Chafkin, Christine (November 28, 2022). "How Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Nurtures His Creativity". Inc. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Stone, Brad (February 2, 2017). The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World. Transworld. ISBN 9781473527027.
  10. ^ Alter, Charlotte (November 16, 2023). "Brian Chesky on How Art Helped Him Build Airbnb". Time. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Bryant, Adam (October 11, 2014). "Brian Chesky of Airbnb, on Scratching the Itch to Create". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  12. ^ Fortson, Danny (February 25, 2018). "Airbnb is waiting to really take off". The Sunday Times.
  13. ^ a b Hartmans, Avery (July 22, 2017). "The fabulous life of Airbnb's Brian Chesky, one of the youngest and richest tech founders in America". Business Insider.
  14. ^ "Airbnb Co-Founder, CEO and Head of Community Brian Chesky to Deliver Keynote Address at Rhode Island School of Design's 2017 Commencement" (Press release). Rhode Island School of Design. May 19, 2017.
  15. ^ Stone, Brad (2017). The Upstarts. Little, Brown and Company. pp. 213, 326. ISBN 978-0-316-38839-9.
  16. ^ Lee, Dave (May 1, 2021). "Airbnb's Brian Chesky: 'The trick is to be optimistic'". Financial Times. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  17. ^ "The Story of Scrotie, the Dick-and-Balls Hockey Mascot That Could". MEL Magazine. April 26, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gallagher, Leigh (2017). The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions... and Created Plenty of Controversy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780544952669.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Stone, Brad (2017). The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316388399.
  20. ^ Friedman, Thomas L. (July 20, 2013). "Welcome to the 'Sharing Economy'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  21. ^ Schonfeld, Erick (August 11, 2008). "AirBed And Breakfast Takes Pad Crashing To A Whole New Level". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  22. ^ Spors, Kelly (August 11, 2008). "The Business of Politics". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 21, 2017.
  23. ^ Rusli, Evelyn (July 7, 2011). "The New Start-Ups at Sun Valley". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018.
  24. ^ a b Ive, Jonathan (April 16, 2015). "Time 100 Pioneers: Brian Chesky". Time. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  25. ^ "100 Most Powerful People in Business: Brian Chesky". Fortune. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  26. ^ Tremayne-Pengelly, Alexandra (September 19, 2024). "Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Goes All-Out Defending 'Founder Mode'". Observer. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  27. ^ Graham, Paul (September 2024). "Founder mode". Paulgraham.com. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  28. ^ a b Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; Merced, Michael J. de la; Hirsch, Lauren; Livni, Ephrat (September 3, 2024). "Why Silicon Valley Is Abuzz Over 'Founder Mode'". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  29. ^ Hinchcliffe, Emma; Ajemian, Nina (September 5, 2024). "Silicon Valley is obsessed with 'founder mode.' But women founders say they're not allowed to operate that way". Fortune. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  30. ^ a b Vlamis, Kelsey (September 4, 2024). "Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says women founders say they can't go 'founder mode' like men, and it needs to change". Business Insider. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  31. ^ Deeter, Sara (September 5, 2024). "Canceled, Ousted, and Taken Down: Why Founder Mode Doesn't Work for Female Leaders". Inc. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  32. ^ Procopio, Joe (September 6, 2025). "Why Your Founder Mode CEO is Terrible". Inc. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  33. ^ Patel, Nilay (October 28, 2024). "Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says 'founder mode' came from studying Steve Jobs". The Verge. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  34. ^ Dawes, Justin (September 21, 2024). "Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky: 'I Never Called it Founder Mode'". Skift. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  35. ^ Kroll, Luisa (December 12, 2016). "40 Under 40". Forbes.
  36. ^ Brayton, Jenna (May 11, 2015). "The White House Celebrates Entrepreneurs Around the World". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives and Records Administration.
  37. ^ Vinton, Kate (October 4, 2016). "Brian Chesky". Forbes.
  38. ^ Gallagher, Leigh (March 24, 2017). "Why Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Is Among the World's Greatest Leaders". Fortune. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  39. ^ "Co-founder tells RISD grads about the birth of Airbnb". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. June 3, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  40. ^ "Brian Chesky grew Airbnb from three airbeds in a living room to the biggest force in hospitality. He's the 2018 Executive of the Year (Video)". American City Business Journals. December 18, 2018.
  41. ^ "Dr Jeffrey Obomeghie and Dupe Olusola among the 100 most powerful people in global hospitality". Pulse Nigeria. August 1, 2022.
  42. ^ "Airbnb Cofounders Join Buffett and Gates' 'Giving Pledge'". Fortune. June 1, 2016.
  43. ^ Cabanatuan, Michael (December 16, 2020). "Airbnb co-founder donates $25 million to S.F., Bay Area homelessness programs". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  44. ^ "Philanthropy 50: List of America's top 50 donors of 2022". Associated Press. The Chronicle of Philanthropy. February 14, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  45. ^ "Obama Foundation, Brian Chesky launch $100 million scholarship program". Candid. May 17, 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brian Chesky.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brian_Chesky&oldid=1302817558"