Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says artificial intelligence now writes 60% of the company's new code and has cut development time dramatically, enabling faster product iteration.
To succeed in the AI era, Chesky argues companies must adopt a "founder mode" leadership style—staying involved in operational details rather than delegating entirely—to move at startup speed even as large enterprises.
Chesky is betting so heavily on AI that he is launching his own lab and predicts a new AI-powered vacation-planning tool could debut within 18 months.
What happened
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says AI now writes 60% of the company's new code and has cut concept-to-launch time by as much as 60%. The company's AI-powered customer service tool resolved 45% of user inquiries without human intervention in the most recent quarter. Chesky plans to spend more on AI tokens this year and is launching his own AI lab.
Why it matters
Chesky argues that to win in AI, companies must embrace a "founder mode" mindset—staying deeply involved in details rather than managing at a distance—and move like startups even as they scale. He credits this approach with letting Airbnb build, test, and iterate faster than it could a year ago, and believes it is key to becoming an "AI-native company."
What to watch
Chesky predicted a new AI software for vacation planning could debut in up to 18 months. He is also transforming Airbnb into a broader travel platform, which sources told Bloomberg could potentially raise company revenue by $1 billion. The company plans to test AI search and expand AI use across search, sign-up, checkout, and payments.
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Chesky's emphasis on "founder mode"—a term popularized in 2024 after Y Combinator cofounder Paul Graham published an essay inspired by Chesky's own talk—reflects a broader shift in how Fortune 500 leaders view scale and AI. Chesky acknowledges that as Airbnb grew to its current $110 billion valuation and 8,200 employees, his leadership style evolved, but he argues that the principles of founder-mode leadership—staying immersed in details, building trust, and then delegating—remain essential. By using AI to accelerate code generation and customer service resolution, Chesky positions Airbnb to maintain startup-like speed and iteration cycles while operating at enterprise scale. His willingness to invest heavily in AI tokens and launch a dedicated AI lab signals confidence that the technology can deepen competitive advantage rather than commoditize it.
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