Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has confirmed that hackers compromised his X account earlier this week after the profile published a lengthy thread about blockchain-based real-world asset tokenization.
Summary
- Brian Chesky confirmed his X account was hacked after it posted a crypto tokenization thread.
- Airbnb treated the incident as a high-profile compromise and worked with X to secure access.
- The deleted posts praised asset tokenization, prompting questions because they did not promote scams directly.
The posts later disappeared, and Chesky has now responded with a joke about the unexpected audience the incident brought to his account.
In a July 17 post on X, Chesky wrote, “To the person who hacked my account earlier this week: thanks for all the new crypto followers.” He then added, “To my new crypto followers: I’m going to be a very disappointing follow.” His statement confirmed that the earlier tokenization posts did not represent commentary he intended to publish.
Chesky confirms hack after unusual tokenization thread
The deleted thread attracted attention because it presented detailed arguments about tokenized real-world assets rather than promoting Airbnb’s core business. It discussed blockchain-based ownership and financial markets in a way that initially led some observers and publications to treat the posts as genuine comments from the Airbnb chief.
According to Fortune’s report on the incident, Airbnb treated the episode as a high-profile account compromise and moved to secure the profile with X. However, the nature of the posts caused confusion because the thread focused on tokenization rather than pushing a meme coin, fake presale or cryptocurrency giveaway.
The episode differs from many recent social media hacks linked directly to token schemes. As crypto.news reported this week, attackers also compromised SpaceX’s X presence in an incident linked to the SCATMAN token, renewing concerns about criminals using trusted brands to attract crypto traders.
Earlier, as crypto.news reported in May, hackers used Keith Gill’s verified Roaring Kitty account to promote and dump a Solana-based token. The incident reportedly left traders with $2.8 million in losses after users trusted posts coming from the well-known market personality’s account.
By contrast, available reports have not identified a token sale, wallet-draining link or fraudulent giveaway connected to Chesky’s deleted posts. Instead, the compromised account published commentary that users could have mistaken for a genuine shift in the Airbnb CEO’s public position on crypto. That makes the episode different from attacks built around immediate token promotion.
High-profile X profiles remain attractive targets because their established audiences can give unfamiliar crypto claims instant credibility. As previously reported by crypto.news, attackers have compromised accounts belonging to executives, companies, entertainers and market personalities to promote fraudulent tokens, fake airdrops and phishing links.
