‘What you need are friends’: Airbnb CEO reveals Barack Obama's post-breakup advice to him

Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb recently revealed that Barack Obama gave him post-breakup advice in 2021. Talking about the highs and lows he faced while creating Airbnb, Brian opened up on his personal issues on ‘The Diary Of A CEO’ podcast. He revealed that he had known the former US president since 2015, when Obama made him Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship. The Airbnb CEO sees the ex-POTUS as a mentor and also joined him during his 2016 Cuba visit.

During the podcast, Brian told Steven Bartlett, “I remember I was single, got out of a relationship, and I kind of felt lonely, and I remember telling him (Obama): I think I need to be in another relationship.” However, the former president said, “I don't think you need to be in another relationship, I think what you need are friends.” Brian revealed that he explained to him about his connections, saying that he was “totally connected” with 15 people in his life, most of whom, he knew before being elected as the president.

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Brian noted that Obama's advice made him think about his own friends and the fact that he didn't have the same connections. "And if you have someone in your life that if you have to call them and text them and get them up to speed, then you're not connected," he said. He also stated, “There's this Paradox that when you go on this crazy journey like I do, a lot of people don't reach out to you because they're afraid to reach out.”

In 2022, Brian donated $100 million to the Obama Foundation for scholarship funding. The duo's Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service was announced earlier this year in August.