- Brian Chesky, a former hockey player and industrial design student, is now worth $9.6 billion.
- Chesky started Airbnb after renting out his apartment to conference-goers who couldn’t find a hotel.
- See how Chesky led the company to a successful IPO and beyond despite COVID-19 and other challenges.
Before running Airbnb, Brian Chesky attended art school.
The now 41-year-old CEO majored in industrial design at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, while also dabbling in hockey and bodybuilding in his 20s.
After graduation, an idea hatched with his San Francisco roommate Joe Gebbia blossomed into tech unicorn Airbnb and has positioned Chesky as one of Silicon Valley’s key players.
As of March 2023, Airbnb is worth $76 billion. It just recorded its first profitable year, and has become synonymous with short-term rentals across the US.
Here’s how the Brian Chesky, an upstate New York native, became one of the richest young tech founders in America.
This story was originally published in 2016. It was last updated on March 23, 2023.
