Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says recruitment takes about three hours of his daily schedule, with his involvement extending beyond direct reports to members of their teams. Chesky said the approach gives him greater involvement in selecting executives and developing the company’s future leadership structure.
Key Takeaways
- Brian Chesky said he spends about three hours a day on recruitment
- The Airbnb CEO remains involved in hiring decisions beyond his direct reports
- Chesky said executives’ hiring decisions can shape the company’s future leadership pipeline
- His approach includes involvement in selecting members of senior executives’ teams
- Chesky attributed the approach in part to advice from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
Brian Chesky Increases His Involvement in Executive Recruiting
Brian Chesky has described recruitment as a substantial part of his responsibilities as Airbnb’s CEO, saying he spends about three hours each day on hiring. His involvement covers executive recruitment as well as decisions involving members of senior leaders’ teams.
The approach places Chesky directly into hiring decisions that extend beyond the executives who report to him. Rather than limiting his involvement to selecting direct reports, he also participates in decisions concerning people those executives bring into their teams.
Chesky has connected this involvement with the development of Airbnb’s future leadership structure. The hiring decisions made by senior executives can affect the people who later assume greater responsibility within an organization, making the composition of those teams part of the leadership structure Chesky is seeking to build.
His stated allocation of time also makes recruitment a regular part of his daily work rather than an activity limited to individual executive openings. The three-hour figure provides a specific measure of the time Chesky says he devotes to the process.
The approach places the CEO in the hiring process at multiple levels. Direct executive appointments remain within his involvement, while selected hiring decisions made by those executives also receive his attention. That degree of participation reflects the broader CEO role in recruitment when the composition of a senior leadership team is treated as a strategic responsibility.
Airbnb CEO Extends Hiring Input Beyond Direct Reports
Chesky’s recruiting approach extends his input beyond the people who report directly to him. He has said that he remains involved when senior executives select members of their own teams.
The distinction is central to the approach. A CEO who participates only in direct-report hiring has a narrower role in shaping the leadership organization. Chesky’s stated process gives him input into additional positions connected to the executives responsible for major areas of the company.
His involvement therefore covers both immediate leadership appointments and selected decisions further down the organizational structure. The approach gives Chesky a role in determining not only which executives join the company but also which people those executives bring into their teams.
That process also places attention on the relationship between executive hiring and team composition. Senior leaders make hiring decisions for their own teams, while Chesky remains involved in some of those selections.
The result is a recruiting process in which the CEO retains input at more than one level. Chesky has described this as part of his responsibility for choosing the people who will contribute to the company’s leadership structure.
The approach does not remove hiring responsibility from senior executives. Instead, Chesky’s stated role adds his participation to selected decisions made within those executives’ teams.
Chesky Connects Executive Hiring With Future Leadership
Chesky has linked his recruiting involvement to the longer-term development of Airbnb’s leadership pipeline. His stated reasoning is that the people hired by senior executives can eventually become successors to those executives.
That connection gives individual hiring decisions a role in the formation of future leadership teams. A person initially hired as part of an executive’s team may later take on greater responsibilities within the organization.
For Chesky, that possibility is a reason to remain involved in hiring beyond his immediate reports. His approach treats the composition of senior executives’ teams as relevant to the leadership structure that develops around them.
The leadership pipeline described by Chesky therefore extends beyond current titles. His involvement reaches into decisions about people who may have responsibilities under existing senior executives and could later occupy larger roles.
This also explains the connection between executive hiring and succession planning in Chesky’s approach. The hiring of team members can affect the group of people available to assume future leadership responsibilities. A planned CEO succession process similarly illustrates how organizations can establish defined paths between current leadership responsibilities and future executive roles.
Chesky’s comments place recruitment within his responsibilities as CEO rather than treating it solely as a function delegated to individual hiring managers. His stated three-hour daily commitment provides the clearest indication of the amount of time he allocates to that work.
The approach also adds CEO participation to selected hiring decisions made by senior executives. While those leaders remain responsible for building their teams, Chesky considers the potential effect of certain appointments on Airbnb’s future leadership structure.
Sam Altman’s Advice Influenced Chesky’s Recruiting Approach
Chesky has attributed part of his recruiting approach to advice from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The advice influenced Chesky’s view of how much time a CEO should dedicate to hiring.
The connection is specifically related to recruitment. Chesky has described Altman’s guidance as a factor in his decision to devote substantial time to identifying and selecting executives and other members of senior teams.
That advice forms part of the explanation for Chesky’s reported three-hour daily recruiting schedule. His current approach combines that time commitment with direct participation in hiring decisions that extend beyond his own direct reports.
The role of the advice is therefore specific: it influenced Chesky’s approach to the amount of attention a CEO should give recruitment. Chesky’s own hiring practices determine how that approach is applied within Airbnb.
The recruiting process he described includes both senior executive appointments and selected members of those executives’ teams. This gives the CEO involvement in a broader portion of the leadership organization than direct-report hiring alone would cover.
Chesky’s comments also connect the advice with the way he thinks about leadership development. His stated concern with future successors means the people selected for senior executives’ teams are considered in relation to the company’s future leadership structure.
The approach remains centered on recruitment rather than a separate organizational initiative. Chesky has identified hiring as a significant part of his daily responsibilities and described the reasoning behind his continued participation.
Airbnb’s Leadership Hiring Process Remains Closely Tied to the CEO
Chesky’s reported recruiting schedule places the Airbnb CEO directly within the company’s executive hiring process. He said approximately three hours of his day are devoted to recruitment, with the work extending beyond his direct reports.
His involvement covers decisions concerning senior executives and members of their teams. That structure means the CEO has input into multiple levels of the leadership organization rather than limiting his participation to appointments immediately below him.
Chesky has also connected those decisions to future leadership. His stated view is that executives’ hiring choices can influence the people who eventually become successors, making team-level recruitment relevant to the development of the company’s leadership pipeline.
The approach gives executive hiring a direct connection to succession planning within the leadership structure Chesky described. The people selected by senior executives become part of the teams from which future leaders can emerge.
Chesky’s three-hour daily commitment also provides a concrete description of the time he says he dedicates to recruiting. The figure covers the recruitment activity he has described as part of his responsibilities as CEO.
His participation does not mean that every hiring decision is made directly by Chesky. The information provided about his approach specifically concerns senior leaders and members of their teams, with his involvement extending beyond direct reports.
The result is a CEO-led approach to selected executive and team hiring decisions. Chesky has positioned his participation around choosing leaders and contributing to the development of the people who could form Airbnb’s future leadership structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time does Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky spend on recruiting?
Brian Chesky said he spends about three hours a day on recruitment. His involvement includes senior executive hiring and selected decisions involving members of those executives’ teams.
What is Brian Chesky’s approach to executive hiring?
Chesky remains involved in hiring senior executives while also participating in selected hiring decisions made by those executives. He has connected the approach with the development of Airbnb’s future leadership structure.
Does Brian Chesky participate in hiring beyond his direct reports?
Yes. Chesky said his involvement extends to members of senior executives’ teams, giving him input beyond appointments involving executives who report directly to him.
What did Sam Altman tell Brian Chesky about recruiting?
Chesky attributed part of his approach to advice from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. That advice influenced Chesky’s decision to devote substantial time to recruitment.
Why does Brian Chesky remain involved in senior hiring decisions?
Chesky has said that executives’ hiring decisions can shape the company’s future leadership pipeline because people hired into senior teams may eventually become successors to those executives.
