Airbnb says AI now writes 60% of its new code

Airbnb revealed during its Q1 2026 earnings call that AI now writes 60% of its engineers' new code, joining Google, Microsoft, and Spotify in reporting significant AI-driven coding acceleration. CEO Brian Chesky highlighted AI's leverage for building tools for API partners, noting that one engineer with AI agents can now do work that previously required a team of 20. The company's AI customer support bot now resolves 40% of issues without human escalation, up from 33% earlier in the year. Chesky also candidly acknowledged that no one has yet solved AI for travel or e-commerce, citing chatbot UI limitations around text-heavy interfaces, lack of direct manipulation, poor comparison tools, and single-player design in a multi-player booking context. Financially, Airbnb posted $2.7B in revenue (up 18%) and $160M net income in Q1 2026.