# Joe Gebbia Co-founder of Airbnb and the first Chief Design Officer of the United States, currently leading federal digital modernization efforts through the National Design Studio. **Online:** [joegebbia.com](https://joegebbia.com) | X [@jgebbia](https://twitter.com/jgebbia) **Organizations:** White House (National Design Studio), Airbnb (Board), Samara, Tesla (former Board member) **Location:** San Francisco / Washington, D.C. --- ## Entries ## Professional background Joe Gebbia holds a BFA in Graphic Design and Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he met Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky. In 2008, he co-founded Airbnb with Chesky and Nathan Blecharczyk, serving as Chief Product Officer until 2022. During his tenure, he led the development of Airbnb.org, the company's nonprofit initiative. In 2022, Gebbia transitioned to a non-executive role on Airbnb's board to launch Samara, a company focused on designing and producing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) - smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a stand-alone. He served on Tesla's board of directors from 2022 until stepping down in early 2025. Gebbia was previously a Democratic donor but publicly shifted his political position, citing concerns about the Democratic party's direction on issues including border security and urban public safety. ## Trump II administration role Gebbia joined the [[Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)]] as a volunteer advisor in February 2025. An invitation from Elon Musk led him to work with the DOGE team on federal process modernization. In August 2025, President Trump appointed him as the nation's first Chief Design Officer through the "America by Design" executive order, establishing the [[US National Design Studio]] within the White House Office of the Chief of Staff.