The guy who helped put Meta on the AI map leaves Meta and goes to Airbnb
Ahmed Al-Dahle, who led Meta’s generative AI team, has joined Airbnb as its new chief technology officer (CTO). Al-Dahle was key in Meta’s AI development and led the team that developed its open-source Llama models.
American online renting firm Airbnb has pulled off a major coup by hiring Ahmed Al-Dahle, the man who played a key role in the development of Meta’s artificial intelligence models. Al-Dahle announced his decision to join Airbnb in a post on X, expressing gratitude for his experience at the Mark Zuckerberg-led firm.
On He wrote, “Grateful for my time at Meta and the bold bet on open-sourcing Llama. 1.2B+ downloads, 60K+ derivatives, a global wave of open AI innovation. Thank you to Mark and Meta’s leadership team for the opportunity.”
Why did Airbnb hire Meta’s Generative AI lead?
Al-Dahle will join Airbnb as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). His arrival marks a notable development for the American firm as it pushes for more AI-powered capabilities for its platform.
Ahmed Al-Dahle indicated that his new role at Airbnb will include the integration of AI models into Airbnb’s platform. “Modeling capabilities are advancing rapidly. The question now is how to apply them to products that people love – ones that bring them into the world, connecting them to real people and places,” he explains.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky expressed similar thoughts on Al-Dahle’s arrival. Chesky indicated that the US firm will bring AI to the heart of its services. “With Ahmed, we’re really excited because we have the opportunity to do AI right for travel, do AI right for e-commerce,” he told CNBC.
Who is Ahmed Al-Dahle?
Before joining Airbnb, Al-Dahle led Meta’s generative AI initiatives, including the open-source Llama. He was later named co-head of AI products after Meta restructured the unit in response to mixed developer feedback regarding the Llama 4 model. Meta brought in Scale AI CEO Alexander Wang to lead its superintelligence lab as part of the $14.3 billion deal.
Al-Dahle’s background also includes a 16-year tenure at Apple, where he contributed to special projects and imaging and sensing technology. He has a degree from the University of Waterloo in Canada and is known for combining technical expertise with design and engineering leadership.
