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 249th richest person in the world according to Forbes, with a net worth of $8.6 billion,[1] mostly due to his ownership of 76 million shares of Airbnb.[2]

Brian Chesky
Chesky in 2021
Born
Brian Joseph Chesky

(1981-08-29) August 29, 1981
Niskayuna, New York, U.S.
EducationRhode Island School of Design (BFA)
Occupation(s)CEO and co-founder, Airbnb

Early life and education

Brian Chesky was born on August 29, 1981, in Niskayuna, New York, the son of Deborah and Robert H. Chesky;[3] His father is of Polish descent and his mother of Italian origin.[4] Chesky's parents were both social workers.[5][6] He has a younger sister, Allison.[5] As a child, Chesky was interested in art, drawing replicas of paintings, and design, redesigning shoes and toys.[5] He later became interested in landscape architecture and design.[7]

Chesky attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) beginning in 1999[8] and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in industrial design in 2004.[9] During his time at RISD, Chesky was influenced by the works of Charles Eames and Walt Disney.[10] He also met fellow student Joe Gebbia, who would later be one of the co-founders of Airbnb.[11] In his early 20s, he was also a hockey player and competitive bodybuilder.[8]

Career

After attending college, Chesky worked as an industrial designer and strategist at 3DID, Inc. in Los Angeles.[11]

In 2007, he moved to San Francisco where he shared an apartment with Gebbia.[12]

Airbnb

In October 2007, the Industrial Designers Society of America was hosting a conference in San Francisco and all hotel rooms were booked.[13][14] The pair could not afford rent for the month and decided to rent their apartment for money.[15] They purchased three air mattresses and marketed this idea as "Airbed and Breakfast", with three guests staying the first night.[16][17]

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.[18][19][20][21] 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.[22]

In December 2020, Airbnb became a public company via an initial public offering.[23]

Recognition

In 2015, Chesky was included on the Forbes list of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40.[24] Chesky was recognized on the Time 100 for 2015.[23]

In May 2015, President Barack Obama named Chesky an Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship.[25]

In 2016, Chesky was also named in the Youngest Forbes 400 list.[26]

In 2018, Chesky was named the Bay Area Executive of the Year by American City Business Journals.[27]

In June 2022, Chesky was featured among the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality by the International Hospitality Institute.[28]

Personal life

Chesky was previously in a relationship with Elissa Patel, an artist.[29][30] In December 2022, he listed his home in San Francisco on Airbnb.[31]

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.[32]

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.[33]

References
  1. "Brian Chesky". Forbes.
  2. "Airbnb, Inc. 2022 Form 14-A Proxy Statement". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. April 21, 2023.
  3. "Harry Chesky Obituary". Times Union. October 4, 2008 – via Legacy.com.
  4. Stone, Brad (February 2, 2017). The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World. Transworld. ISBN 9781473527027.
  5. Gallagher, Leigh (June 26, 2015). "The education of Airbnb's Brian Chesky". Fortune.
  6. Cohen, Anne (April 16, 2015). "Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Amy Schumer and Bibi Make Time 100 List". The Forward.
  7. Bryant, Adam (October 11, 2014). "Brian Chesky of Airbnb, on Scratching the Itch to Create". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  8. Hartmans, Avery (July 22, 2017). "The fabulous life of Airbnb's Brian Chesky, one of the youngest and richest tech founders in America". Business Insider.
  9. "Airbnb Co-Founder, CEO and Head of Community Brian Chesky to Deliver Keynote Address at Rhode Island School of Design's 2017 Commencement" (Press release). Rhode Island School of Design. May 19, 2017.
  10. Stone, Brad (2017). The Upstarts. Little, Brown and Company. pp. 213, 326. ISBN 978-0-316-38839-9.
  11. Bryant, Adam (October 11, 2014). "Brian Chesky of Airbnb, on Scratching the Itch to Create". The New York Times.
  12. "FOG Design+Art Announces Galleries Participating in Seventh Edition of Fair". Artsy. December 3, 2019.
  13. Carr, Austin (March 17, 2014). "Inside Airbnb's Grand Hotel Plans". Fast Company.
  14. Geron, Tomio (February 11, 2013). "Airbnb And The Unstoppable Rise Of The Share Economy". Forbes.
  15. Friedman, Thomas L. (July 20, 2013). "Welcome to the 'Sharing Economy'". The New York Times.
  16. Greylock Capital Management (February 28, 2014). "The Entrepreneur Questionnaire Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb". Medium. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013.
  17. Helm, Burt (December 2014). "Airbnb Is Inc.'s 2014 Company of the Year". Inc.
  18. Spors, Kelly (August 11, 2008). "The Business of Politics". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 21, 2017.
  19. Rusli, Evelyn (July 7, 2011). "The New Start-Ups at Sun Valley". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018.
  20. Peng, Tina (March 24, 2010). "Where to get startup cash now". CNN. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022.
  21. Malik, Om (February 22, 2011). "What Every Startup Can Learn From AirBnB". GigaOm. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022.
  22. Fairweather, Alistair (March 12, 2013). "Brian Chesky: The homeless entrepreneur". Mail & Guardian.
  23. Ive, Jonathan (April 16, 2015). "Time 100 Pioneers: Brian Chesky". Time.
  24. Kroll, Luisa (December 12, 2016). "40 Under 40". Forbes.
  25. Brayton, Jenna (May 11, 2015). "The White House Celebrates Entrepreneurs Around the World". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives and Records Administration.
  26. Vinton, Kate (October 4, 2016). "Brian Chesky". Forbes.
  27. "Brian Chesky grew Airbnb from three airbeds in a living room to the biggest force in hospitality. He's the 2018 Executive of the Year (Video)". American City Business Journals. December 18, 2018.
  28. "Dr Jeffrey Obomeghie and Dupe Olusola among the 100 most powerful people in global hospitality". Pulse Nigeria. August 1, 2022.
  29. Hartmans, Avery; Leskin, Paige (December 10, 2020). "The rise of Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, who got his start renting out air mattresses on his floor and is now headed toward a blockbuster IPO". Business Insider.
  30. Ramamurthy, Prasad (March 23, 2017). "Meet the Airbnb CEO and his desi girlfriend on their first visit to India". Condé Nast Traveler. New Delhi. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021.
  31. BIENASZ, GABRIELLE (November 16, 2022). "Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Is Renting Out His Home...On Airbnb: See The Photos". Entrepreneur.
  32. "Airbnb Cofounders Join Buffett and Gates' 'Giving Pledge'". Fortune. June 1, 2016.
  33. "Obama Foundation, Brian Chesky launch $100 million scholarship program". Candid. May 17, 2022.
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