Airbnb Inc. has announced the appointment of Gus Fuldner as its global head of operations, according to an internal memo from Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky distributed to employees. Fuldner, who left Uber Technologies earlier this year after more than a decade with that company, is scheduled to join Airbnb on March 16.
Fuldner will succeed Tara Bunch, who is stepping down to retire after six years with Airbnb. Bunch, who had previously worked at Apple Inc., will continue with Airbnb through June in an advisory capacity to help manage the transition to new leadership.
Chesky wrote in the memo that discussions with Bunch about leadership change had been ongoing for some time and that there was no strict timetable in place. He said the company and Bunch agreed they would move ahead once an appropriate successor was available.
The appointment comes as part of a broader push in Airbnb's senior ranks. Earlier this year, the company named Ahmad Al-Dahle, formerly of Meta Platforms Inc., as chief technology officer, a hire that the company said signals plans to add more artificial intelligence capabilities to its app. The Fuldner hire is the latest in that sequence of executive additions as the company works to expand beyond its core stays business.
At Uber, Fuldner most recently held the role of senior vice president of core services. In that position he led teams responsible for safety, support, payments, insurance and identity.
Operational context
The leadership change pairs a departing operations chief who will remain on to advise, with an incoming executive who brings experience overseeing multifaceted operational functions at a major ride-hailing and delivery platform. The overlap period through June is intended to smooth the handover and preserve continuity in operations.
What remains limited in the announcement
- The memo did not present a fixed timeline for the transition beyond the stated start date for Fuldner and Bunch's advisory period through June.
- No additional details were provided about how Fuldner's responsibilities will be structured at Airbnb or how the appointment will specifically affect day-to-day operational decisions.