Airbnb CEO X account hacked to promote crypto tokenization

The X account of Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky was compromised this week and used to publish an unauthorized, AI-generated thread promoting the tokenization of real-world assets. The fake posts, which accumulated over 700,000 views before being deleted, mark the latest in a series of high-profile social media hacks aimed at influencing cryptocurrency narratives.

The breach occurred on Tuesday, July 14, according to a company executive’s confirmation. The attackers took control of Chesky’s verified account and posted a multi-tweet thread written to emulate the executive’s formal cadence. Cybersecurity analysis firm Pangram assessed the text as having been fully generated by artificial intelligence.

Unlike common cryptocurrency scams that promote specific coins or include malicious links, this thread presented a broad, bullish argument for converting traditional assets like real estate into digital tokens on a blockchain. It described benefits such as reduced transaction friction, instant settlement, and global fractional ownership, drawing a parallel to Airbnb’s own model of reducing ownership barriers. The content emphasized that trust and governance, not technology, were the key...