Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky had his X account hijacked earlier this week, with the attacker posting AI-generated content about tokenization to his millions of followers. Chesky regained control of the account and told new crypto followers he'd be a 'disappointing follow.'
What happened on X
The hack was brief but visible. Chesky's verified account, which normally posts about travel and company updates, suddenly started pushing AI-generated slop about tokenization — a topic the CEO has never publicly championed. The posts were taken down after Chesky regained access, but not before racking up engagement from a confused audience.
Chesky's response
Once back in control, Chesky didn't mince words. He posted a message to the new followers the scam had attracted, warning them he'd be a 'disappointing follow.' The jab was a blunt acknowledgment that the account had been weaponized to pump a crypto narrative he has no interest in. No further details on how the hack occurred or whether any security measures have been changed.
The crypto spam angle
Tokenization is a buzzy concept in blockchain circles — the idea of representing real-world assets on a ledger. But the attacker's posts appear to have been generic AI-generated content, not a specific scam link or phishing attempt. It's a reminder that verified accounts remain prime targets for bad actors looking to lend credibility to crypto pitches, even if the pitch is just a wall of slop.
X hasn't publicly commented on the incident, and Chesky hasn't said whether he reported the hack to law enforcement or if he plans to enable additional security like hardware keys. The question lingering: how did the attacker bypass two-factor authentication (if Chesky had it enabled) on one of the most visible accounts on the platform? Users will be watching for any disclosure from either side.
