Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says, he can 'Hire, fire, promote, and manage. I co-do it with ...

Airbnb CEO

Brain Chesky recently said that he is still deeply involved his company’s operations. In a recent podcast appearance Chesky revealed that he is deeply involved in

personnel decisions

for dozens of employees — well beyond the typical scope of a chief executive. As reported by Business Insider, in an episode of the Social Radars podcast, Cheekily revealed that he personally engage with a “concentric circle” of 40 to 50 employees at Airbnb, treating them all as his direct reports. “I skip level, I co-hire them, and I make decisions on whether or not they're working out and leave the company,” he said. “Hire, fire, promote, and manage. I co-do it with my executives. It’s a lot of work, but it’s necessary.”

Founder mode in the age of AI

The remarks made by Chesky reflects in a broader philosophy called ‘founder mode’. This philosophy emphasise on the direct involvement of company founders in day-to-day operations and decision making. He also argues that this approach is very important in today’s time when AI is compelling companies to reinvent themselves.“Founder-mode companies are more likely to thrive or even survive the age of AI,” Chesky said, suggesting that proximity to the work and the workers is essential for navigating technological disruption.The Founder Mode philosophy has gained a lot of traction last year when

Y Combinator

cofounder Paul Graham wrote an essay titled Founder Mode after taking inspiration from Chesky. Airbnb CEO feels that distancing founders from employees can kill momentum and can also slow the process of innovation.

A leadership style that’s catching on

It seems that Chesky’s approach influenced other tech leaders as well. Duolingo CEO Luis von Ann recently revealed that he maintains a ‘view of everything” at his company’. On the other hand, Tesla CEO Elon Musk also echoed the principles of founder mode in a post shared on social media platform X. Musk revealed that he personally overlooked the chip deal with Samsung.“This is a critical point, as I will walk the line personally to accelerate the pace of progress,” Musk wrote, noting the fab’s proximity to his home.