Airbnb Acquires New AI Startup From Siri Co-Founder

Airbnb, which recently went public, has completed its initial acquisition, shelling out nearly $200 million according to insiders. The company acquired is an AI startup by the name of Gameplanner.AI, which had been operating in “stealth mode” since its inception in 2020. Stealth mode involves operating undercover to safeguard intellectual property or avoid diversions. Through this acquisition, Airbnb reports that its own AI projects will gain momentum.

Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s CEO, plans to leverage AI as a “travel concierge” to enhance user experiences, such as by learning about a user over time to better understand their travel preferences. This deal, Airbnb’s first since 2019, could intrigue Wall Street analysts, possibly increasing Airbnb’s appeal as a potential acquisition target. The company, which is currently profitable per GAAP, held $11 billion in liquid assets as of the end of September.

Gameplanner.AI is the brainchild of Adam Cheyer, a co-founder of Siri, Apple’s renowned voice assistant. Upon Siri’s acquisition by Apple, Cheyer worked closely with the late tech mogul Steve Jobs. He later spearheaded the formation of Viv Labs, which was instrumental in creating Samsung’s voice assistant, Bixby. Gameplanner.AI’s other co-founder, Siamak Hodjat, worked with Cheyer at Viv Labs.

According to TechCrunch, “It’s not immediately clear what Gameplanner does. A LinkedIn search only turns up two associates: Gabe Greenbaum, a general partner at B Capital who sits on Gameplanner’s board of directors, and Joseph Huang, head of design at Gameplanner. Gameplanner hasn’t had a web presence for some time; the Internet Archive’s earliest cache of the website (from December 2021) yields a blank page.”

“AI will rapidly alter our world more than any other technology in our lifetime, but we need to ensure that it augments humanity in a positive way.” 

Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky via TechCrunch

This move by Airbnb comes on the heels of news that Google is considering a substantial investment in another AI startup, Character.AI. The latter raised $150 million at a market valuation of $1 billion in March, in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. Character.AI has a unique business model where users can create virtual avatars or interact with AI renditions of famous personalities like Elon Musk or Albert Einstein.