A little over a year after the end of a storied 27-year career at Apple, Jony Ive has found a new (part-time) home at Airbnb. As explained in a company blog post penned by Airbnb cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky, the former chief design officer at Apple will be joining the home renting startup as part of a “special collaboration” that will involve “a multiyear relationship to design the next generation of Airbnb products and services.” In addition to bringing Ive on board, Airbnb’s partnership will involve working with LoveFrom, the design firm Ive and Australian industrial designer Marc Newsom cofounded after the former’s 2019 departure from Apple.
Though Airbnb’s announcement was short on details about any tangible design projects Ive will tackle, the collaborative partnership will see him play a role in further developing the company’s internal design team amid a time of transition. As Reuters reports, Airbnb’s existing chief design officer Alex Schleifer will shift to a part-time role as part of the new arrangement.
Known for his close working relationship with Steve Jobs, Ive had a long tenure at Apple that helped redefine the look and feel of its products as it emerged from a slump in the 1990s. From the brightly colored iMacs that first signaled the company’s renaissance to the revolutionary design of the iPhone and beyond, Ive’s design influence at Apple played a significant role in shaping both how we see and use technology.
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There’s not much of an obvious overlap between Ive’s electronics-based design work at Apple and what he might handle for Airbnb. Still, Chesky believes that he and his longtime friend share a common outlook on design and its purpose.
“We each believe not only in making objects and interfaces, but in crafting services and experiences,” Chesky said in his announcement. “We’ve seen how design can facilitate trust and enable more human connection, something people are desperate for during an unprecedented time of loneliness and disconnection.”
Though it remains to be seen how exactly this “special collaboration” manifests, attracting a designer of Ive’s stature can’t hurt at a time when Reuters says Airbnb is hoping to raise $3 billion for an IPO. If all goes well on that front, perhaps the company will need a “spaceship” campus of its own soon enough—or a visionary new plan as to how users interact with its countless participating homes.
