Airbnb gets former Apple design chief Jony Ive on board for multi-year partnership

Airbnb has hired former Apple design chief Jony and his new firm to design products for the home-sharing startup under a multi-year partnership. Jony was a part of Apple for more than two decades and worked closely with Steve Jobs. He is the brain behind the iMacs and iPhones. Jony parted ways with Apple in 2019.

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky in a blog announced that Jony and his partners at LoveFrom will collaborate with the company to design the next generation of Airbnb products and services.

"Today, I'm thrilled to announce that Jony and his partners at LoveFrom will be engaging in a special collaboration with me and the Airbnb team. We have made the decision to work together through a multi-year relationship to design the next generation of Airbnb products and services. Jony will also help us continue to develop our internal design team, which he believes to be one of the world's best. I know he is particularly excited about a relationship that will evolve to become a deep collaboration with our creative team," Chesky said in the blog.

Chesky also added working will Jony will prove to be an important and powerful creative partnership.

Emphasizing his personal equation with Jony, Chesky revealed, "Jony and I have been good friends for many years, and he has been gracious enough to provide me with guidance and advice. We share the same belief in the value and importance of creativity and design. We each believe not only in making objects and interfaces but in crafting services and experiences. 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."

Jony's company, LoveForm was founded a year ago after his exit from Apple. His team consists of designers, architects, musicians, writers, engineers, and artists.