Airbnb sells intellectual property to AI lab owned by CEO and CTO

Airbnb sold intellectual property to a private AI lab founded and controlled by its CEO, Brian Chesky, according to Skift. The company's CTO, Ahmad Al-Dahle, also holds a stake in the lab and works for the entity.

The transaction, completed in November, generated $7.1 million in cash for the IP and expense reimbursements combined, as reported in Airbnb's quarterly SEC filing. However, the filing did not specify the exact intellectual property involved, its valuation, or the breakdown of the purchase price.

In exchange for the sale, Airbnb obtained a license to use certain lab IP internally and secured rights to invest in future equity rounds of the AI lab. The terms of the license and further details were not disclosed in the filing.

A special committee of independent, disinterested directors approved the arrangement to address potential conflicts of interest. Airbnb plans to launch its proprietary AI travel agent in the first half of 2027, though no additional details were provided in the filing or shareholder update.