Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced today that the company has appointed Ahmad Al-Dahle, who previously led generative artificial intelligence at Meta Platforms, as its new Chief Technology Officer amid a pivotal moment for Airbnb.
Al-Dahle succeeds former tech chief Ari Balogh, who resigned in December after over seven years with the company.
Chesky shared the news in an email with employees around the globe today: “Ahmad is one of the world’s leading experts in AI. He joins us from Meta, where he led Generative AI and the team behind the Llama family of open source models. I’ve known Ahmad for a couple of years, and I want to share more about who he is and why he’s the right leader to join Airbnb at such a pivotal moment.”
“Ahmad is joining Airbnb at a pivotal moment… Technology is shaping our lives in ways we never fully intended. Our phones, once tools for creativity and connection, have become vortexes for our attention. We spend hours scrolling feeds, often watching other people’s lives instead of living our own, and consuming content that is increasingly generated by AI.”
“In a world becoming more artificial, people are craving what’s real: real connection with real people in the real world. No company is better positioned to meet this need than Airbnb. We have a rare opportunity, and responsibility, to shape how people travel, live, and interact with AI in a way that strengthens human connection and draws people into the physical world, not away from it.”
“That’s why Ahmad’s decision to join Airbnb matters. He connects big ideas with technical depth, highly values design, and believes engineering should be a true strategic partner in everything we do. More importantly, he shares our belief that technology should serve people—not the other way around—and that its highest purpose is to bring us closer together.”
Airbnb stock fell 1% in premarket trading following the announcement.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
