In a strategic move, Airbnb has successfully acquired the enigmatic AI startup, GamePlanner.AI, as declared by the company in its morning announcement. According to CNBC, the transaction was valued at approximately $200 million, a figure that TechCrunch couldn't verify at the time of publication.
GamePlanner.AI, initiated by Adam Cheyer and Siamak Hodjat, enters the scene with a notable background. Cheyer, renowned for his involvement in launching Siri, a startup eventually acquired by Apple, played a pivotal role in shaping Apple’s AI-driven Siri assistant. Hodjat, on the other hand, collaborated with Cheyer at Viv Labs, a company assimilated by Samsung to launch its own AI assistant, Bixby, back in 2017.
The nature of GamePlanner's operations remains veiled in mystery. A perfunctory LinkedIn search yields only two figures associated with the startup: Gabe Greenbaum, a board member from B Capital, and Joseph Huang, GamePlanner's design head. The absence of an online presence further compounds the mystery; the earliest snapshot from the Internet Archive in December 2021 displays a blank page.
Despite this ambiguity, Airbnb's CEO and co-founder, Brian Chesky, offered insight in a prepared statement. Chesky hinted at GamePlanner's 12-person team harnessing a blend of AI and design expertise to fashion AI-centric experiences, akin to an AI-focused consultancy.
Chesky underscored the transformative potential of AI in reshaping our world and expressed the need for it to enhance humanity positively. He conveyed confidence in GamePlanner's team, articulating their focus on expediting select AI projects and seamlessly integrating their tools into Airbnb's platform. Chesky's vision aligns with Airbnb's humanistic ethos in technology, envisioning collaborative efforts with Adam and his team to pioneer cutting-edge interfaces and practical AI applications.
Chesky's AI aspirations for Airbnb are no secret, emphasizing the utilization of generative AI to construct a dynamic "travel concierge" attuned to and evolving with travelers. Considering that GamePlanner signifies Airbnb's first acquisition since 2019 and its inaugural move as a public entity, it underscores Chesky's earnest commitment to realizing this innovative vision.