Is the Airbnb CEO Overpaid?
On pay-for-performance, Airbnb scores D (41/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Brian Chesky earned $25.0M in 2025 while the company posted a 9.7% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
This page answers a common executive-compensation question: Is the Airbnb CEO Overpaid?. The answer draws on SEC DEF 14A proxy statements, the public disclosure mechanism for U.S. public-company executive pay. Every public company must file an annual proxy statement disclosing CEO and named-executive-officer compensation in detail. Why this matters for shareholders: executive compensation is the single most-disclosed governance metric at U.S. public companies, and the Dodd-Frank-mandated say-on-pay vote gives shareholders an explicit channel to express approval or dissent. Reading pay data well — including pay-versus-performance, peer-group selection, and time-vesting structures — is a basic part of stock-by-stock fundamental analysis.
The detailed answer below uses the actual proxy-statement filings, explains how to read them, and translates the executive-compensation accounting into the shareholder-relevant interpretation.
Airbnb Pay-for-Performance Scorecard
- Pay-for-Performance grade
- D (41/100)
- 3-yr shareholder return
- 9.7%
- 3-yr revenue growth
- 11.1%
- Say-on-pay approval
- 87.0%
- CEO total comp
- $25.0M
- CEO-to-worker ratio
- 625:1
Source: Airbnb SEC DEF 14A proxy statement. Pay-for-Performance grade is CEOPay's proprietary score (TSR alignment 40%, revenue-vs-pay growth 30%, say-on-pay 20%, pay ratio vs peers 10%).
The CEOPay Pay-for-Performance Score grades Airbnb a D (41/100). It weighs four factors pulled from the company's SEC filings: three-year total shareholder return alignment (60/100), revenue growth versus compensation growth (3/100), say-on-pay vote support (82/100), and CEO-to-worker pay ratio versus peers (0/100). Brian Chesky's $25,000,000 package is the number those factors judge.
Over the trailing three years, Airbnb delivered 9.7% total shareholder return on 11.1% revenue growth, and 87.0% of shareholders approved the pay plan in the most recent say-on-pay vote. When pay holds up or rises faster than the returns it is meant to reward, that is the pattern critics point to when they call a package "overpaid."
There is no single threshold for "overpaid." The package only pays out in full if performance and vesting conditions are met, and equity dominates it: $12,500,000 of Brian Chesky's 2025 pay came from stock awards versus $2,500,000 in base salary. Reasonable shareholders weigh the grade, the say-on-pay vote, and the peer-group context together rather than the headline number alone.
Pay & Performance Data
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Compensation | $25,000,000 |
| Base Salary | $2,500,000 |
| Stock Awards | $12,500,000 |
| Option Awards | $3,000,000 |
| Non-Equity Incentive | $3,750,000 |
| CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio | 625:1 |
| Pay-Performance Grade | D |
Other Online Travel CEOs
Frequently Asked Questions
On pay-for-performance, Airbnb scores D (41/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Brian Chesky earned $25.0M in 2025 while the company posted a 9.7% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
Our Pay-for-Performance Score rates Airbnb as D (41/100), based on three-year total shareholder return of 9.7%, revenue growth of 11.1%, and shareholder say-on-pay vote approval.
Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, earned $25.0M in total compensation in 2025, including $12.5M in stock awards and $2,500,000 in base salary.
Airbnb's CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 625:1. CEO Brian Chesky earns approximately 625 times the median worker's pay of $40,000, as disclosed in the company's SEC DEF 14A proxy statement.
Brian Chesky is the chief executive officer of Airbnb (ABNB).
More about Airbnb
On pay-for-performance, Airbnb scores D (41/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Brian Chesky earned $25.0M in 2025 while the company posted a 9.7% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
Source: SEC EDGAR DEF 14A proxy statements, 2026.