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Brian Chesky on his new playbook for Airbnb: interview summary

Brian Chesky's new playbook

Lenny's Podcast · Nov 12, 2023 · about 73 min

Uploaded Nov 12, 2023 · 405.2K views (as of Oct 30, 2026)

Good value given

Do fewer things. He had teams list every project and cut to about 20% of them.
Instead of one team doing three things, have three teams do one thing.
He removed management layers and moved to a functional model.
He merged product management with product marketing and treats marketing as educating people.
Get everyone to row in the same direction. He says that might be the most important thing he said.

What is Brian Chesky's new playbook for running Airbnb?

He cut the number of projects, removed layers of management and went back to a functional structure like a startup, with design, engineering and product teams instead of divisions. He combined product management with product marketing, got closely involved in the details himself, and ships products as releases that each tell a chapter of a bigger story.

Worth watching?Good value given. A rare, detailed look at how a big company was rebuilt to work like a startup again. If you lead a team or a product, this is one of the best hours you can spend.

ActionableLessons

Actionable

Write down every project your team is running and cut the list.
Plan your next launch as one chapter in a longer story.
Find a mentor just 1 or 2 years ahead of you.
Talk to people two levels below you this week.

Lessons

Focus creates speed.
Leaders should be close to the details of the product.
Marketing works best when it teaches people what's special.
Feeling like you haven't made it yet keeps you learning.

Quick answer

Brian Chesky sat down with Lenny's Podcast for this interview, published Nov 12, 2023. Here's our summary in our own words: a verdict, the answer to the big question, 5 takeaways, Actionable and Lessons tabs, then the stories, frameworks and how to use them.

What 125x is: 125x is a web app at 125x.app. You connect your YouTube subscriptions, and it gives you a feed of the latest videos from the channels you follow, each with a summary: a verdict, the 5 key takeaways, and the spoiler, plus Actionable and Lessons tabs with more tips. You read that and decide what's actually worth opening.

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Watch the interview

Watch on YouTube: Brian Chesky's new playbook

Channel: Lenny's Podcast. Published Nov 12, 2023. About 73 minutes.

Who is Brian Chesky?

Brian Chesky co-founded Airbnb in 2008 with Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk and is its CEO.

Host Lenny Rachitsky worked at Airbnb for years, which is why the questions go deep.

Key stories from the interview

He tells how people pushed back when asked to write down all their projects, because there were so many.
He explains why performance marketing doesn't build lasting advantage the way education does.
He treats every direct report of his direct reports as a dotted line to him.
He says you don't need a mentor 10 years ahead, someone 1 or 2 years ahead often helps more.

Frameworks and ideas

Fewer projects, more people per project.
Functional org: design, engineering, product, marketing.
Releases as chapters of a 5 or 10 year story.
Row in the same direction.

In their words (paraphrased)

Instead of one team doing three things, three teams should do one thing.
Think of each release as a chapter of a story.
If there's one thing to take away, try to get everyone rowing in the same direction.

How to apply this

Run a project audit with your team and cut to the top few.
Write a one-page story for your product's next year.
Ask one person a year ahead of you for 20 minutes of advice.

A note on this summary

This page reports what was said in the interview, in our own words. Lines under 'In their words' are paraphrased from the transcript, so check the video for exact wording.

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FAQ: questions people ask

What did Brian Chesky change at Airbnb?

He cut projects, removed management layers, moved to a functional structure, and combined product management with product marketing.

What does row in the same direction mean?

Making sure everyone in a company is working toward the same goals so effort adds up.

Is the Brian Chesky Lenny's Podcast episode worth watching?

Good value given. It's specific and useful for anyone leading a team.