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Co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. Industrial designer by training (RISD). Known for popularizing the concept of Founder Mode — the idea that founders should stay deeply involved in product details rather than delegating to professional managers. Led Airbnb through the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuilding the company from near-collapse to a $100B IPO.
Core Ideas
- Founder Mode over Manager Mode — founders should stay in the details, not "hire great people and get out of the way"
- Skip-Level Meetings — maintain relationships with 40-50 people across two reporting layers, not just direct reports
- Leadership is presence, not absence — be in the room brainstorming, not setting a vision and disappearing
- Founder-market fit — the right founder builds the company the way they want to run it