Billionaire Brian Chesky’s social-worker parents told him to pick a high-paying career. He went to art school—and started Airbnb with 3 air beds

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said his parents, both social workers, urged him toward a high-paying career, but he chose art school instead and launched the home-sharing company in 2008 with three air beds after struggling to cover rent. The anecdote, recounted in a profile of the billionaire, traces Airbnb’s origins from a cash-strapped apartment to a global platform that reshaped the travel industry. Chesky’s background has become part of the company’s founding narrative as it balances growth with regulatory scrutiny in major markets. Investors will watch whether that scrappy origin story still resonates as Airbnb matures and faces pressure to expand beyond its core lodging business.