The co-founder of global accommodation-sharing company Airbnb, Joe Gebbia, is reported to be joining the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory body led by Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 13th (local time) that Gebbia, a close friend of Musk and a member of the Tesla board, plans to soon start working in the federal government as part of Musk's team.
A former Democratic donor, Gebbia spent $200,000 to support Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State, and Joe Biden, former President, during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, respectively. In 2023, he contributed $20,000 to assist Biden's re-election campaign.
Gebbia has said that his political leanings shifted toward the Republican Party due to his support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated as Minister of Health and Human Services. Kennedy Jr., a member of the Kennedy family, left the Democratic Party last year to seek an independent candidacy but began supporting President Donald Trump at the last moment.
Gebbia also revealed through X (formerly Twitter) the day before President Trump's inauguration that he had voted for Democratic candidates since the 2000 presidential election but supported President Trump in the last November election.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Gebbia's net worth is reported to be approaching $9 billion (approximately 13 trillion won) thanks to his equity in Airbnb, founded in 2008.