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Airbnb has made its first acquisition as a public company, in a deal valued at just under $200 million, sources familiar with the deal told CNBC. The startup is called Gameplanner.AI, which has been in "stealth mode" since its founding in 2020. Startups in stealth mode operate out of the public eye for various reasons, such as to protect intellectual property or avoid distractions. Airbnb's news follows reports that Google is in talks to invest hundreds of millions into another AI startup, Character.AI, which in March raised a $150 million at a $1 billion valuation in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. The startup lets people create virtual characters or chat with AI versions of celebrities like Elon Musk or Albert Einstein.

Persons: Airbnb, Gameplanner.AI, Adam Cheyer, Siri, Steve Jobs, Cheyer, Viv, Brian Chesky, Chesky's, Andreessen Horowitz, Elon Musk, Albert Einstein Organizations: CNBC, Apple, Viv Labs, Google

☆ Airbnb boss Brian Chesky says he personally called CEOs he knew to ask if they could hire the thousands of staff he laid off during the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky made the tough decision to lay off 1,900 staff during the pandemic. Chesky made an alumni directory for laid off Airbnb staff so recruiters could connect with them. Chesky explained to Bartlett that he wanted people to leave with "dignity" and have the chance to get good roles. When describing the layoffs, Chesky said it was like "breaking up with 2,500 people," and said that he had a "deep feeling of love for all of them," referring to his employees. During its pandemic layoffs, Airbnb's severance packages were substantial .

Persons: Brian Chesky, Chesky, —, Steven Bartlett, Airbnb, Bartlett, I'm, Elon Musk, Musk, they'd Organizations: Service, Software

☆ Hosts are eager for more support after Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says 'we need to get our house in order'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky called out his own company in an interview with Bloomberg published Monday. AdvertisementAdvertisementAirbnb CEO Brian Chesky says it's time for the company to "get our house in order," in an interview with Bloomberg, and short-term rental hosts are thrilled. Airbnb host Ric Kenworthy, who manages over 90 properties in Arizona, says Chesky's comments were a long time coming. Chesky's site is a marketplace that connects hosts and travelers, and the CEO is struggling to keep both sides happy. As travelers continue to book short-term rentals, Chesky acknowledged the company "never fully built the foundation" needed for the current size of the company.

Persons: Brian Chesky, —, Ric Kenworthy, Jen Kelman, that's, Chesky, Airbnb, Melinda Johnson, Johnson, Kelman, Katie Kay Mead Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Airbnb Locations: Arizona, Airbnb, Tennessee, , Arizona, Arrowhead , California

☆ The CEO of Airbnb wants you to charge less for your house
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky thinks hosts on his platform should lower their prices. "We want prices to move and to be more competitive vis-à-vis a hotels—that is really important," said Chesky. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementAirbnb CEO Brian Chesky has a message for hosts on his platform: lower your prices.

Persons: Brian Chesky, —, Chesky, Jamie Lane, AirDNA Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Airbnb

☆ Meet Airbnb's official party pooper, who reduced partying by 55% in two years
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +15 min

In this article ABNB Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTNaba Banerjee, Airbnb Source: Prashant Joshi | AirbnbNaba Banerjee is a proud party pooper. In June, the company was sued by a family who lost their 18-year-old son in a shooting at a 2021 Airbnb party. Airbnb's party problem was complex, and in some ways, she didn't know where to start. There's just one problem: Airbnb's AI system is working against you from the second you sign on. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Airbnb's reservation screening system in action.

Persons: Naba Banerjee, Prashant Joshi, Airbnb Naba Banerjee, she's, It's, Banerjee, —, Airbnb, Nate Blecharczyk, strategizing, Covid, she'd, He'd, riskiest, They're, Brian Chesky, he'd Organizations: Airbnb, Day, Labor, CNBC, Australia Locations: Australia, Airbnbs, North America, Kolkata, India, U.S, Canada, Asia, Texas

☆ Airbnb adds Google's 'AI ambassador' to its board of directors
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Deirdre Bosa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Airbnb is adding James Manyika, Google's "AI ambassador," to its board of directors, the company said Monday. Manyika's addition underscores CEO Brian Chesky's ambitions in artificial intelligence, which Chesky has said will radically change the Airbnb platform by 2024. As Google's head of Research, Technology and Society, Manyika reports to CEO Sundar Pichai and focuses on how tech affects user's daily lives. Increasingly, that encompasses the company's AI research and products. With Manyika on the board, Chesky gains a powerful voice that sits at the intersection of AI and society.

Persons: James Manyika, Brian Chesky's, Chesky, Sundar Pichai, Belinda Johnson Organizations: Research, Technology, Society, National AI Advisory, McKinsey & Company

☆ Elon Musk says 'other companies' should take note of the way Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky interacts with people on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk praised Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on Friday for the way he uses Twitter to gather feedback on his company. Chesky asked Twitter users what the booking platform should focus on as a top priority to improve it. Elon Musk praised Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky for using Twitter as a tool to gather feedback on his company. It introduced a new take on the foundational idea of the booking platform, "Airbnb Rooms" – staying in strangers' spare rooms. Musk and Chesky didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

☆ When Brian Chesky co-founded Airbnb, his mom said, 'You're not an entrepreneur, you're unemployed'—now he's worth $9.3 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

That's according to Chesky, who told the story at a recent Stanford Graduate School of Business event. Months before Airbnb's scheduled initial public offering, business dropped 80% in eight weeks during Covid-19 lockdowns, Chesky told Stanford students. Today, Airbnb's market cap is $75.49 billion, and Chesky's net worth is $9.3 billion, according to Forbes. "I never focused on trying to make a lot of money," Chesky said. DON'T MISS: Want to be smarter and more successful with your money, work & life?

☆ Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky's assistant shares the main reason why his schedule is so difficult to manage and how she broke into Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sugar-Carlsgaard is the senior executive assistant to the cofounder and CEO of Airbnb. She was headhunted to join Airbnb as the senior-executive assistant to Chesky, the CEO, in 2019, and she describes the company as "captivating." Before Sugar-Carlsgaard started, Chesky's team was beginning to transition into having "a lot of eyes" on them as Airbnb grew bigger. It's the way Airbnb functions, she said. Breaking into Big Tech was about "trusting myself and being able to sell myself and my experiences," she said.

☆ For $0, you can now book a room in Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky's home. He'll even bake you cookies.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has listed a bedroom in his San Francisco home on the platform. The video shows Chesky walking down a flight of stairs with his dog and taking photos of a living room and the bedroom he is listing. There's a lot of fun things we'll do," Chesky told CBS. However, the room already booked out till March 2023, an Airbnb spokesperson told Insider. Chesky's room listing shows a large bed — queen size "with a real mattress," per the listing — two closets, a desk, and an armchair set against the backdrop of a world map.

☆ Airbnb changes price display on app after customer complaints
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Airbnb Inc's (ABNB.O) chief executive tweeted on Monday that the vacation rental company would make changes in the way it displays prices on its platform after it faced customer complaints. "I've heard you loud and clear—you feel like prices aren't transparent and checkout tasks are a pain," CEO Brian Chesky tweeted. Chesky said Airbnb would make four changes starting next month, where guests would be able to see the total price they are required to pay up front. The San Francisco-based company will prioritize the total price instead of a nightly fare in its search ranking algorithm, Chesky said. Addressing customer complaints about guests having to complete checkout tasks, Chesky said guests should not have to do "unreasonable checkout tasks such as stripping the beds, doing the laundry, or vacuuming".

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