People Moves: Ahmad Al-Dahle, CTO at Airbnb

Ahmad Al-Dahle has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer at Airbnb, a move underscoring the company’s ambition to redefine how advanced technology supports real-world human experiences at global scale.

Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO at Airbnb, says the timing of Ahmad’s appointment is “critical for a business navigating rapid advances in AI while remaining grounded in travel, community and physical connection”. 

Ahmad joins Airbnb from Meta, where he most recently led Gen AI and oversaw the teams behind the Llama family of open-source large language models. Under his leadership, Llama became one of the most influential AI platforms in the world, with more than one billion downloads and tens of thousands of derivative models. 

From foundational hardware to frontier AI

Ahmad’s career spans some of the most significant technology programmes of the past two decades. 

After studying engineering at the University of Waterloo, he joined Apple in 2005 while still a student, contributing to the iPhone years before its launch. He went on to become a core technologist behind the device’s display and multitouch systems and later worked across Apple’s core technology platforms, shipping features across nearly a dozen products including the first Apple Watch.

In 2014, Ahmad founded and led Apple’s autonomous technology group, developing core AI systems for the company’s self-driving car initiative. 

He joined Meta in 2020, initially leading mapping and applied AI within Reality Labs, before founding Meta’s Gen AI group in early 2023 following the emergence of ChatGPT.

Aligning AI with the real world

Announcing his move, Ahmad reflected on the importance of openness in AI development, describing Llama as proof that innovation can accelerate when built in the open. 

He also signalled a shift in focus, arguing that the most exciting work ahead lies not in building ever more powerful models, but in creating products that meaningfully shape how people experience the real world.

“Airbnb is one of the few companies that operates at the intersection of technology and the physical world, at global scale,” he adds. “That’s where I want to be.”

This view closely aligns with Airbnb’s philosophy – something Brian is keen to emphasise. 

“In a world becoming more artificial, people are craving what’s real: real connection with real people in the real world,” he continues. 

“No company is better positioned to meet this need than Airbnb. We have a rare opportunity and responsibility to shape how people travel, live and interact with AI in a way that strengthens human connection and draws people into the physical world – not away from it.”