Airbnb said Tuesday that Pepijn Rijvers will step in for Dave Stephenson to lead several core business functions. CEO Brian Chesky shared the update with employees and praised Stephenson, saying he handled "three of the hardest jobs in the company, two of them at the same time."
Stephenson came onboard as CFO in 2019, prior to the company's IPO; he guided Airbnb through the pandemic and, in 2024, was named its first chief business officer. He will "remain closely involved through the end of the year to support the transition," the company said.
Rijvers will oversee short-term rentals, enterprise operations, global markets and Airbnb's growing hotels business. The Services and Experiences lines that Stephenson also led will now report to Chief Experience Officer Hiroki Asai, according to the company. Fallon O'Connor, currently vice president of communications, will broaden her remit to include the employee experience organization previously overseen by Stephenson. In his note to staff, Chesky called Rijvers a "true entrepreneur" who "stays close to the team at all levels and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty."
Rijvers' arrival caps a busy year of leadership moves as several long-tenured leaders departed or retired. In January, Airbnb named Ahmad Al-Dahle, hired from Meta Platforms Inc., as chief technology officer, succeeding Ari Balogh. Other recent changes include David Spielfogel becoming global head of policy and communications, replacing Jay Carney, and Gus Fuldner taking over as global head of operations from Tara Bunch.
Before joining Airbnb, Rijvers held a similar role at Tripadvisor overseeing its consumer businesses and previously served as president of Viator. Earlier in his career, his tenure at Booking.com exceeded ten years, during which he served as chief marketing officer and later as a managing director overseeing the accommodation business.
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Airbnb is knitting tighter ties with travel companies it once treated as competitors as it pushes beyond short stays. Last month, the company unveiled a tie-up with Tripadvisor that will allow Airbnb users later this year to reserve curated tours, activities, and attractions through the tour-reservation platform. The company has also expanded into areas including boutique hotels, bookings for rental cars, airport pick-up, and grocery-stocking services. If you follow Airbnb, the through-line is clear - it is steadily building more ways to capture spend across the trip, not just the stay.
