Rebuilding Airbnb: How a Tech Overhaul Unlocks New Businesses
Photo Credit: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky speaking at Skift Global Forum on September 16, 2025. Skift
Skift Take
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky talks beds, bots and better travel experiences, and that’s just the beginning, as it eyes new businesses and AI expansions.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s plan to revamp the business resembles more of a technical gut renovation than a cosmetic remodel, according to comments he made at the Skift Global Forum this week.
The return of experiences, an infusion of services, and the debut of a customer service bot are the most visible updates, but they’re not just superficial changes. They are the products of a tech transformation that goes back five years. The platform, first built as a place to rent beds, had to be rewritten to claw back what was lost due to Covid-19 and support what would come next.
The pandemic “basically cut the company almost in half,” explained Chesky.
“We did a massive layoff. We had to
