• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechAirbnb

Airbnb’s CEO Is Worth $3 Billion, But Still Rents His Couch for $50

By
People
People
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
People
People
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 18, 2015, 7:54 PM ET
Chesky CEO of Airbnb attends session of World Economic Forum in Davos
Brian Chesky, Chief Executive Officer of Airbnb smiles during a session at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos January 23, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS HEADSHOT) - RTX17QWJPhotograph by Denis Balibouse—Reuter

(People) – Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, has come a long way from the days when he struggled to pay his rent in San Francisco.

Now worth an estimated $3 billion, Chesky, 34, found success after coming up with the bright idea of launching a website that allows people to rent out their homes. Though Airbnb has since become a huge hit, Chesky still lives in his original apartment and rents it out through the site.

“I still live in the original Airbnb and I still Airbnb it so you can book it,” he tells People. “It’s available throughout the year, you can book the couch for just like $50.”

He adds: “I just like hosting because I like to meet people and typically they are entrepreneurs themselves.”

(Editor’s note, Chesky’s profile page with reviews is currently visible, but his couch is not listed).

Airbnb now has 2 million listings and more than 60 million users. Celebrity users include Mariah Carey, Conan O’Brien, Olivia Palermo, Shailene Woodley and Ashton Kutcher, who is also an investor.

And while Chesky has made a name for himself with the site, he doesn’t plan on moving out of his humble abode anytime soon.

“It’s nice to walk up the same stairs every year and open the same door and go to the same house and know that there’s something that hasn’t changed – it’s kind of grounding.”

This article was published in partnership with People.com.

For more about Airbnb, watch this Fortune video:

 

About the Author
By People
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Man with glasses wearing a black collared shirt
LawDonald Trump
‘Attempted corporate murder’: Judge calls on Anthropic and Department of War to explain dispute over supply chain risk 
By Amanda GerutMarch 24, 2026
2 hours ago
Woman holding a yellow umbrella that has become inverted in the wind.
NewslettersEye on AI
AI agents are getting more capable, but reliability is lagging—and that’s a problem
By Jeremy KahnMarch 24, 2026
7 hours ago
Khosla gestures with both hands
AIElections
Billionaire OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla thinks 80% of jobs could vanish by 2030, and that ‘fear of AI’ put American politics in a chokehold
By Jacqueline MunisMarch 24, 2026
9 hours ago
Aravind Srinivas, wearing a white sweater, lifts both of his arms in front of him.
Future of WorkLabor
Perplexity CEO says AI layoffs aren’t so bad because people hate their jobs anyways: ‘That sort of glorious future is what we should look forward to’
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 24, 2026
11 hours ago
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink
EconomyInequality
Billionaire Larry Fink says you’re wrong to think that AI stealing your job is the big problem—it’s really about what it’s doing for his class
By Tristan BoveMarch 24, 2026
11 hours ago
boardroom
AIJobs
CFOs admit privately that AI layoffs will be 9x higher this year—and still a fraction of ‘doomsday’ predictions
By Jake AngeloMarch 24, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

Commentary
The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
2 days ago
Magazine
The youngest-ever female CEO of a Fortune 500 company is fighting Trump's cuts to keep Medicaid strong
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
19 hours ago
Economy
It took 200 years for national debt to hit $1 trillion. Annual interest alone now exceeds that—a 'crushing legacy we must reverse,' says budget chair
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
2 days ago
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 23, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
2 days ago
Energy
Nobel laureate Paul Krugman calls it 'treason': $580 million in suspicious oil futures traded minutes before Trump's Iran reversal
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
9 hours ago
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of March 24, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
15 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.