Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky believe that full-time office job is ‘over’

In a recent interview, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky reiterated his belief that typical full-time office jobs are obsolete, claiming that onsite work is “from a pre-digital age” and no longer makes sense for many career pathways.

Chesky’s comments come just days after Airbnb told its present employees that they may work remotely indefinitely, a likely bid to attract and retain talent in a historically tight labour market that has prompted many companies to increase their incentives.

“I think that the office as we know it is over. It’s kind of like an anachronistic form,” Chesky said during an interview with Time magazine’s Leadership Brief. “If the office didn’t exist, I like to ask, would we invent it? And if we invented it, what would it be invented for?”

“Obviously, people are going to still go to hospitals and work, people are going to still go to coffee shops and work — those spaces make complete sense. But I think that for somebody whose job is on a laptop, the question is, well, what is an office meant to do?” he added.

Chesky also targeted businesses that had used hybrid schedules as part of their “return to office” strategies, after many businesses went completely remote during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Some businesses, according to the Airbnb CEO, “don’t realise this two, three days a week thing isn’t super sustainable.”

Offices will continue to exist as “collaboration spaces,” he stressed. He also mentioned that virtual meetings have “limitations” in terms of community building.

“I’m not trying to paint a rosy picture of the future; there’s going to be a lot to work out. All I’m saying is, you can’t fight the future, we can’t try to hold on to 2019 any more than 1950. We have to move forward,” he said.

Chesky has chosen a similar pattern, saying earlier this year that every two weeks he would work from a different place.

Airbnb stated last month that its staff would be able to live and work anywhere in the country without having to take pay cutbacks based on their location.

The company’s plan also involves regular team gatherings and in-person meetings, as well as allowing employees to live overseas for a portion of the year.

With unemployment hovering around 4% countrywide, businesses are competing fiercely to attract and keep top talent through better pay and other benefits.

In March, a record 4.54 million American workers resigned from their employment, a trend dubbed “the Great Resignation.”

While Airbnb is only a few days into its entirely remote trial, several traditional businesses are encountering employee resistance to returning to the office.

For example, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon recently stated that the bank’s onsite attendance had topped 50%, despite the fact that some junior bankers have openly complained about management measuring their attendance while pursuing a five-day-per-week return.

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