Joseph 'Joe' Gebbia is an American entrepreneur, the self-made billionaire Co-founder of Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) and Founder of Samara (prefabricated homes). His career is rooted in design, art, and the intersection of business and design (his favorite spot).

Gebbia attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), double majoring in Graphic Design and Industrial Design, while taking business coursework at Brown University and MIT. The idea for Airbnb began in his San Francisco living room in 2008 out of necessity: he and his co-founders needed to pay rent and offered three airbeds and Pop-Tart breakfast to guests.

• Airbnb (Co-founder & Board Member): The core publicly traded asset, the global phenomenon in hospitality and peer-to-peer lodging (nearly 7 million listings in over 220 countries).
• Samara (Founder): His latest venture, focused on design-led, factory-made homes designed for rental income, housing, and workspace.
• Giving Pledge Signatory: He has joined The Giving Pledge to commit more than half of his wealth to philanthropy.
• Academic Background: He holds a BFA in Industrial and Graphic Design from RISD (where he is now a Trustee).

Joe Gebbia's strategic genius was his design-first approach to a market problem: how to build trust between strangers—a concept that underpinned Airbnb's success. He co-founded Airbnb with Brian Chesky and Nathan Blecharczyk. The company grew rapidly, transforming global hospitality and reaching nearly 7 million listings in over 220 countries.

He later stepped down from his day-to-day executive role to focus on his design firm, Samara, developing fully customized, factory-made homes designed for flexibility and economic empowerment. His structural contribution is immense: pioneering the sharing economy and profoundly changing how people trust each other. He is a major philanthropist and Giving Pledge signatory, focusing on housing resources, design, and education at RISD.

Joe Gebbia is a major global philanthropist. His structural social impact is tied to Airbnb's role in democratizing travel and providing economic stimulation globally. His founding of Samara and his commitment to the Giving Pledge focus on housing solutions and design education. He established an endowed scholarship at RISD (where he serves as a Trustee).

His structural contribution is tied to his belief in design thinking as a critical tool for solving social problems at scale.

Joe Gebbia maintains the professional, creative style of a designer-executive. His attire is consistently modern and high-quality, favoring tailored casual wear. His aesthetic reflects his obsession with igniting new ideas and the intersection of business and design.

Residing in San Francisco, California, his luxury is the immense security and financial reward derived from his multi-billion dollar fortune. His life is dedicated to design innovation, social entrepreneurship, and the sharing economy.