Airbnb’s Chesky on AI Cutting Jobs: ‘Not as Much as I Thought’
Photo Credit: Aribnb CEO Brian Chesky speaks at the 2025 Skift Global Forum in New York City. Skift
Skift Take
While competitors cite AI efficiency as a reason to cut staff, Brian Chesky argues that faster growth will absorb the gains. At least for now.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky offered a counterintuitive take Wednesday on how artificial intelligence is reshaping his workforce: While AI may drive job losses at other travel companies, it hasn’t significantly changed Airbnb’s overall headcount.
Chesky pushed back in an interview on CNBC when asked whether AI had changed his hiring plans.
“Not as much as I thought,” he said.
“On the one hand, you don’t need as many people with AI to do a job,” Chesky said. “On the other hand, AI accelerates the growth of your business — and so therefore, they kind of net out.”
Across the travel industry, executives have increasingly framed AI as a tool for efficiency, often as a proxy for workforce reduction. If Ches
