Hardware Podcasts

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky: “I Was a Great Founder and a Terrible CEO”

How I Built This · 2 Nov 2026 · 1h 15m

What this episode covers

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky explains how he transitioned from a 'terrible CEO' who deferred to experienced executives to a hands-on leader during the COVID crisis, adopting Steve Jobs' 'founder mode' to save the company. He details the importance of staying in the details, skip-level communication, and empowering rather than giving autonomy to teams, while also discussing the launch of Airbnb.org’s goal to provide one million free nights of housing annually.

Most relevant to

large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Airbnb, Apple, Netflix, Marriott, United Airlines, Chase, Tesla, Disney, Nike, McDonald's, Amex, iRobot, Proctor and Gamble, Peloton
Products
Airbnb.org, Roomba
Also
Steve Jobs, Jony Ive, Ron Johnson, Hiroki Asai, Sloan Kettering, RISD, Y Combinator, Ken Chenault, Barack Obama, Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk, Colin Angle, Antonio's Pizza, Thayer Street, Sam Walton, Walt Disney, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, Reed Hastings, Charles Eames, Leonard da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, Frank Lloyd Wright, Pablo Picasso, Rafael, Guy Raz

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