Brian Chesky.

Brian Chesky is the Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, the global travel platform that fundamentally transformed how people experience travel and hospitality.

Chesky launched Airbnb in 2008 by renting out air mattresses in his San Francisco apartment, and grew it into a company with a market capitalization exceeding $80 billion. Airbnb has facilitated over 1.5 billion guest arrivals across 220+ countries and regions, creating an entirely new category of accommodation and experience. Chesky was listed in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People and has been recognized as one of the most visionary entrepreneurs of his generation. His leadership during COVID-19-when he made the difficult decision to lay off 25 percent of Airbnb's workforce while providing generous severance-earned widespread praise. His ability to reimagine travel, build a global community, and navigate extreme adversity demonstrates the entrepreneurial excellence the Powered 500 Award recognizes.