Airbnb CEO Chesky vows site overhaul with racism in mind

Airbnb is under fire for taking nearly one year to ban a host who turned away a transgender woman amid growing scrutiny of discrimination on the service. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky opens the company's Open Air tech conference by addressing the recent racist incidents that have plagued the site. SAN FRANCISCO -- Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky opened the company's Open Air technical conference Wednesday by addressing recent racist incidents that have taken place on the $25-billion company's home sharing site. Beyond expressing outrage at the incidents that have impacted African-Americans and transgender guests, Chesky said the company plans to pursue technological innovations to guard against future discriminatory events. Chesky did not get specific about what those tech solutions could be, but his presence at the event -- which was not listed in the program -- speaks to both the urgency and seriousness of the issue for the company.