Musk gets new Doge partner, Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia to join govt efficiency team: Report

The Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) has found a new member in the form of Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb and Elon Musk’s dear friend.

The New York Times cited a person familiar with the matter saying that Gebbia, a board member at Tesla, will soon join the federal government as part of Elon Musk’s team in the Doge.

It is, however, not immediately clear what role Gebbia will assume or how formal his profile would be as part of team Doge.

Who is Joe Gebbia?

Joe Gebbia, an American designer and entrepreneur, is best known as a co-founder of Airbnb, the groundbreaking platform that transformed the hospitality industry by allowing individuals to rent out their homes or rooms to travellers.

Born on August 21, 1981, in Atlanta, Georgia, he studied at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he earned degrees in Graphic Design and Industrial Design. It was during his time at RISD that he met Brian Chesky, with whom he later co-founded Airbnb.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Gebbia’s net worth is close to $9 billion owing to his shares in Airbnb which he co-founded in 2008.

A journey from Dem to Rep

Until recently, Gebbia was a Democratic donor to have spent over $200,000 for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden’s campaign in the 2016 and 2020 general elections. In 2023, he bid $20,000 to support Biden’s re-election campaign.

Gebbia has stated that his political views have moved toward the Republican Party, largely influenced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom he regards as a political ally. He attended Kennedy’s confirmation hearing last month, posting on X that morning about a “big day ahead for the future of health in America.”

“I did a bad thing. Something the younger me would hate myself for doing. Something that only a few people (and maybe ByteDance) know: I voted Republican last November,” he wrote on X during the November 2024 elections.