Brian Chesky

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 190th richest person in the world according to Forbes, with a net worth of $9.6 billion, mostly due to his ownership of 67 million shares of Airbnb.

Personal life and education
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's first hobby was ice hockey. He developed an interest in art in his teens and cited Leonardo da Vinci as an early inspiration. 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.

Chesky graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in industrial design. While studying at RISD, Chesky was influenced by the works of Charles Eames, Ray Eames, and Walt Disney. He was captain of the RISD hockey team and in his early 20s was a competitive bodybuilder. In December 2022, Chesky listed his home in San Francisco's Mission District on Airbnb. Chesky enjoys sketching and bonsai.

Career
After graduating from RISD, Chesky moved to Los Angeles to work as an industrial designer. In October 2007, he moved to San Francisco to live with RISD classmate Joe Gebbia. Chesky did not have enough money to pay his rent, and decided with Gebbia to open their house to short-term renters. His move to San Francisco coincided with the Industrial Designers Society of America conference, which ran out of hotel rooms. The pair decided to open the house they were renting as a bed and breakfast, providing air mattresses for guests to sleep on and Pop-Tarts for breakfast. The business became Airbnb.

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 December 2020, Airbnb became a public company via an initial public offering. Chesky has used Twitter to personally solicit suggestions for improvements to Airbnb, doing so in 2016 and 2023. He is an active Airbnb host and listed his home in San Francisco on the platform in 2022. He spent six months that year staying in Airbnbs, which led to the development of 50 changes to the platform and additional service offerings.

Recognition
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. Chesky was named one of the "World's Greatest Leaders" in 2017 by Fortune. He received an honorary doctorate from RISD that year. 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.

Philanthropy
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. Chesky donated $10 million to nonprofit organizations supporting frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. 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. 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.