“Back to founder mode”: Why Airbnb CEO Chesky believes corporations are unsuitable for the AI ​​era

Airbnb is worth billions, but CEO Brian Chesky is relying on founder mode to stay agile in the AI ​​age. Learn why this approach is crucial for the future.

Airbnb is worth nearly $80 billion – but CEO Brian Chesky wants the company to behave like a startup again, especially now that we're in the era of AI.

Chesky appeared on an episode of The Verge's "Decoder" podcast, where he said that "founder mode" is key to operating like a nimble startup.

"In the age of artificial intelligence, my argument is that you have to be founder-centric because you need to be able to move like a startup to adapt," he said. "I think these large, professionally managed companies aren't organized to do that, and that's why they're not well-suited to this new world."

AI is likely the third major technology wave after the PC and the internet, Chesky said. To ride the wave and remain open to change, it's important to embrace entrepreneurial mode, he said.

"We all need to move as quickly as possible," he said. "It has to do with culture. That's why, for me, so many paths lead back to the conversations we're having with organizational charts and founder mode, because you don't want to miss the next wave."

Chesky previously discussed Founder Mode on the same podcast last year. Back then, he said people misunderstand the term. It's not about "bragging," he said, but rather focusing on the details. The whole ethos is "that great leadership is about presence, not absence," Chesky said last year.

The details—and the larger vision—of Airbnb have recently changed. Chesky said in the interview that this is partly due to adapting to the new AI world. The company has launched Airbnb Services, through which people can book things like private chefs, photographers, and personal trainers.

As AI digitizes the world, Chesky said the launch is partly an attempt to fill the "gap" left behind. AI will not replace "jobs focused on human relationships."