Brian Chesky comanda o Airbnb de dia. De noite, toca um lab de AI

Brian Chesky, the founder and CEO of Airbnb, has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) research laboratory and is funding it with his own resources. This move has raised questions about Chesky's ability to manage two companies simultaneously and the potential impact on Airbnb. The news was revealed in a filing published yesterday by Airbnb, alongside the company's third-quarter results.

According to the announcement, Chesky has been working on the new startup in stealth mode for the past twelve months, alongside Airbnb's CTO, Ahmad Al-Dahle, who previously led Meta's AI division. Al-Dahle now holds a 10% stake in the new company, where he serves as a consultant. Airbnb also disclosed that they have agreed to transfer intellectual property to the startup in exchange for $7.1 million and the right to invest in the company in future rounds.

The responsibilities of Chesky and Al-Dahle in the AI lab do not appear to conflict with their obligations to Airbnb, and they continue to dedicate the necessary time and attention to their roles. Chesky's plans to invest in an AI lab were reported in June by Bloomberg, who noted that the focus of the new lab would be on design and user experience. The startup, known legally as Kaboodle Labs, already has its own office and operational team.

While Chesky is not the first entrepreneur to invest in a new venture while continuing to manage his original company, his decision has sparked questions about corporate governance and the potential impact on his dedication to Airbnb, which is valued at over $100 billion on the Nasdaq. Journalist Martin Peers questioned in The Information, "If one of your employees says they started a part-time job that won't affect what they do for you, wouldn't you wonder if they didn't have enough work to do?"

Peers also argued that using Elon Musk as a benchmark for corporate governance is not appropriate, suggesting that the best benchmark should be what is best for shareholder interests. Peers suggested that Chesky's parallel project might be a sign of boredom with the current state of Airbnb and a search for a new challenge, but that he should step down as CEO and allow someone with new ideas to take the reins while he focuses on his AI dreams.

Despite the concerns, the parallel project does not seem to have affected the stock price of Airbnb, which opened today's trading session more than 9% higher as investors applauded the company's third-quarter results, with revenue growing 19% to $4.87 billion and earnings per share at $3.25, 11% above consensus.