Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Says His X Account Was Hacked to Promote Crypto Tokenization

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky confirmed that his X account was compromised this week, with the attacker posting a thread promoting tokenized real-world assets. The content, which has since been deleted, argued that tokenization could make it easier to divide, trade and settle assets like buildings, bonds and investment funds. The thread also referenced a major trading platform’s recent expansion into tokenized assets.

Compromise Was Less Obvious Than Typical Crypto Hacks

Unlike many account takeovers used to promote token sales or scam links, the posts did not include any wallet addresses, token sales or investment links, making the breach harder to immediately identify. Critics noted that the content appeared to be heavily generated using AI tools.

Chesky Regains Access With a Lighthearted Response

After regaining control of his account, Chesky addressed the incident directly, thanking the attacker for the influx of new crypto-focused followers while joking that he would likely disappoint them going forward. Airbnb reported the incident to X, which helped secure the account. It remains unclear how the attacker gained access or who was responsible for the breach.