AI Tech / news
Airbnb Sells IP to AI Lab Founded and Controlled by CEO Brian Chesky
Airbnb has sold intellectual property to a private AI lab founded and controlled by chief executive Brian Chesky, with CTO Ahmad Al-Dahle also holding a stake in the entity. The November transaction generated $7.
The disclosure appeared in Airbnb's quarterly securities filing, which offered shareholders limited detail on exactly what intellectual property changed hands or how the assets were valued. The buyer is a privately held artificial intelligence lab in which both Chesky and Al-Dahle hold ownership interests, and both executives also work for the entity.
Airbnb said a special committee of independent, disinterested directors reviewed and approved the arrangement under its related-party transaction policy. The committee structure is designed to isolate decisions involving insiders from the executives who stand to benefit from them.
The company said the executives' roles at the lab will not alter their responsibilities to Airbnb, where Chesky serves as chief executive and Al-Dahle as chief technology officer.
The $7.1 million figure covers both the IP sale and reimbursements of expenses, meaning the filing does not break out how much of the total was tied specifically to the transferred technology.
Related-party transactions draw scrutiny from investors because they involve dealings between a public company and entities connected to its leadership, and the sparse disclosure leaves open questions about the scope of the assets involved.