Brian Chesky

Brian Joseph Chesky (born August 29, 1981) is an American businessman and industrial designer and the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb.

As of January 2024, Chesky is the 232nd richest person in the world according to Forbes, with a net worth of $9.4 billion, mostly due to his ownership of 76 million shares of Airbnb.

Brian Chesky was born on August 29, 1981, in Niskayuna, New York, the son of Deborah and Robert H. Chesky; His father is of Polish and his mother of Italian origin.

Chesky's parents were both social workers.

He has a younger sister, Allison.

As a child, Chesky was interested in art, drawing replicas of paintings, and design, redesigning shoes and toys.

He later became interested in landscape architecture and design.

Chesky attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), beginning in 1999, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in industrial design in 2004.

During his time at RISD, Chesky was influenced by the works of Charles Eames and Walt Disney.

He also met fellow student Joe Gebbia, who would later be one of the co-founders of Airbnb.

In his early 20s, he was also a hockey player and competitive bodybuilder.

After attending college, Chesky worked as an industrial designer and strategist at 3DID, Inc. in Los Angeles.

In 2007, he moved to San Francisco where he shared an apartment with Gebbia.

In October 2007, the Industrial Designers Society of America was hosting a conference in San Francisco and all hotel rooms were booked.

The pair could not afford rent for the month and decided to rent their apartment for money.

They purchased three air mattresses and marketed this idea as "Airbed and Breakfast", with three guests staying the first night.

Chesky became the leader and chief executive officer of Airbnb.

To receive funding, Chesky and his co-founders created special-edition cereals called "Obama O's" and "Cap'n McCains", based on presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.

Impressed by the cereal boxes, computer programmer Paul Graham invited the founders to the January 2009 winter training session of his startup incubator, Y Combinator, which provided them with training and $20,000 in funding in exchange for a 6% interest in the company.

In 2015, Chesky was included on the Forbes list of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40.

Chesky was recognized on the Time 100 for 2015.

In May 2015, President Barack Obama named Chesky an Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship.

In 2016, Chesky was also named in the Youngest Forbes 400 list.

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.

In May 2022, Chesky donated $100 million 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.

In 2018, Chesky was named the Bay Area Executive of the Year by American City Business Journals.

In June 2022, Chesky was featured among the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality by the International Hospitality Institute.

In December 2022, Chesky listed his home in San Francisco's Mission District on Airbnb.

In December 2020, Airbnb became a public company via an initial public offering.