Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is planning to found a new AI lab, according to sources familiar with the situation, marking a significant step beyond his existing role as an informal adviser to the AI industry’s biggest players.
Chesky has longstanding ties to the frontier AI world. A close ally of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman since meeting through Y Combinator in 2006, he played a key role in rallying Silicon Valley support for Altman’s reinstatement after OpenAI’s board fired him, advising on public relations and helping broker his return. He was also reportedly considered for an OpenAI board seat.
The new lab is expected to focus on user interaction and design, areas Chesky has prioritised at Airbnb, though details remain sparse. Chesky will not lead the lab directly, instead retaining his role as Airbnb’s CEO while taking a founding chair position. Airbnb itself has used AI coding tools but has not signed an LLM partnership, with Chesky previously saying existing models were not yet ready for the company’s needs.
The move places Chesky in implicit competition with Altman’s OpenAI, joining a broader wave of Silicon Valley figures launching independent AI research efforts.
