Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky has confirmed that his X account was hacked after unauthorized posts presenting a positive view of real-world asset tokenization appeared on his profile
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky has confirmed that his X account was hacked after unauthorized posts presenting a positive view of real-world asset tokenization appeared on his profile. Chesky acknowledged the incident in a follow-up post, joking that the attacker had brought him new crypto followers and warning that those followers would probably find his usual posts disappointing. His response confirmed that the tokenization commentary did not come from him.
To the person who hacked my account earlier this week: thanks for all the new crypto followers.
To my new crypto followers: I’m going to be a very disappointing follow. https://t.co/DtO2gtgHjQ
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) July 16, 2026
The compromised account published a multi-post thread discussing the conversion of traditional assets such as stocks, property and investment funds into blockchain-based tokens. The posts argued that tokenization could make asset ownership more accessible, fractional and easier to transfer. They also compared the trust required for tokenized assets with the systems Airbnb developed to allow strangers to share homes.
The deleted thread reportedly received more than 700,000 views before it was removed. The account was later secured, allowing Chesky to regain access. The incident follows other cases in which trusted X profiles were used to distribute crypto messaging. A suspected takeover of Roaring Kitty’s X account was used to promote the Solana-based RKC memecoin, which briefly reached a market value of about $12 million before falling sharply.
Unlike many crypto-related account takeovers, the posts did not publicly promote a particular token, protocol or contract address. They also did not include a wallet connection page, giveaway or direct request for users to invest. No financial loss has been publicly reported in connection with the posts. The attacker’s motive and whether additional posts were planned remain unknown.
In a more direct token-promotion case, the SpaceXAI and Starlink X accounts were used to promote SCATMAN before two wallets sold tokens for combined gross proceeds of 73.7 ETH. No comparable token sales or linked wallet activity have been identified in the Chesky incident. The wording and structure of the deleted thread were reportedly flagged by an AI-detection service as likely AI-generated. However, that assessment does not conclusively establish how the content was produced.
The incident shows how a compromised executive account can make unauthorized commentary appear credible within minutes. A verified profile and familiar writing style may encourage followers, traders and news outlets to treat a post as genuine before the account holder responds. The method used to access Chesky’s account has not been disclosed. X has also not publicly provided a technical explanation for the compromise.
Although no specific token was promoted, the episode highlights the risks of treating posts from prominent accounts as investment signals without checking later confirmations or company communications.
