Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky now spends approximately three hours every day on recruiting, treating himself as the co-hiring manager for all employees who report to his direct reports. While Chesky previously left hiring decisions to those below him, he now personally vets subordinates of his executives to ensure future leaders are philosophically aligned with his vision.
Chesky believes this level of involvement is necessary because those hired today may eventually succeed his current leadership team. He stated that if a manager is hired solely by an executive rather than being agreed upon by both the executive and the CEO, they may not share his philosophy.
Requirements for Management
Chesky is blunt with managers who object to his level of involvement in their hiring processes. According to Chesky, if an employee requires “authority” to operate in a space separate from him, then Airbnb is “not the right company” for them.
Influence of Sam Altman
The shift in priority came after advice from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a friend and former Y Combinator mentor of Chesky. During the pre-launch of ChatGPT, Altman told Chesky that hiring should constitute 50% of a CEO’s job.
Chesky admitted that hiring previously accounted for less than 10% of his time and was not a high enough priority. He now considers recruiting the “number one priority” within the company, noting that he learned this lesson “the hard way.”
Hiring for the Future
Chesky views his role in recruiting as essential for selling the “dream” of the company’s future. He explained that the goal is not to hire for the company as it exists today, but to hire for the “company of tomorrow.”
