American businessman, co-founder & CEO of Airbnb
Airbnb has purchased its first Manhattan office, a six‑story 42,500‑sq‑ft Beaux‑Arts building at 281 Park Avenue South for $81.5 million. The move accompanies a long-running clash with New York City over Local Law 18 restrictions on short-term rentals and signals a deeper commitment to the city with an employee hub for 600+ staff in the region.
Airbnb has embraced AI across product, search, and customer service, with CEO Brian Chesky saying the company is now “AI-native.” The move follows strong Q2 results, including double-digit revenue growth and a sustained push on AI-powered features that reduce costs and speed up development.