Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is building his own AI lab

Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, is done playing kingmaker in artificial intelligence. According to a Bloomberg report confirmed by TechCrunch, Chesky plans to launch his own AI lab—joining a growing list of Silicon Valley heavyweights who believe today’s frontier models aren’t good enough.

Airbnb has already adopted AI coding tools, but Chesky said last year the company hasn’t signed a large language model partnership because existing products weren’t ready. That’s about to change.

Chesky’s ties to the AI world run deep. He met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in 2006 through Y Combinator, which incubated Airbnb, and the two stayed close. When OpenAI took off, Chesky advised Altman on managing hypergrowth, helped broker his return after a boardroom coup, and rallied support among Silicon Valley power players. Now, he appears ready to compete with Altman’s company.

The new lab’s focus isn’t clear yet, but Bloomberg points to user interaction and design—areas Chesky has emphasized at Airbnb. That echoes what Brett Adcock is doing at Hark, though Adcock also builds hardware. Chesky won’t lead the lab himself; he’ll stay on as Airbnb’s CEO. Whoever takes the top job will face competition from other labs and a founding chair known for micromanaging. Airbnb and Chesky declined to comment.