Good morning. Airbnb CFO Ellie Mertz has witnessed the company evolve from a disruptive startup to a global travel platform since she joined in 2013. Now, she’s helping lead its next transformation—infusing AI into both operations and corporate decision-making.
Speaking with Fortune’s leadership editor Ruth Umoh on the Next to Lead vodcast, Mertz said Airbnb’s most tangible efficiency gains have come from AI-powered customer service. Last year, the company rolled out an automated agent that assists guests and hosts with support inquiries. The tool has reduced the number of contacts that require a human agent while improving satisfaction scores. “It gets guests and hosts what they need very quickly,” Mertz said, adding that Airbnb plans to keep investing in the technology.
AI is also reshaping how Mertz’s own finance team operates. Within her organization, AI tools are democratizing access to data at Airbnb, No. 382 on the Fortune 500. Corporate teams that once relied on analysts to pull reports can now surface insights independently, enabling “more thoughtful analysis and decision-making,” she said.
For Mertz, AI’s value lies not in replacing judgment but in speeding its path. “There’s an acceleration in decision-making where we’ve leveraged AI to get the appropriate data collected,” she said.
When it comes to balancing automation with human expertise, Mertz sees AI as a way to elevate—not erode—career potential. “There’s another step change coming,” she said. “We’ll be able to, frankly, create better careers for individuals because a lot of the more rote tasks are taken care of for them.”
To learn more about Mertz’s approach to AI, and how she’s playing a pivotal role at Airbnb, which once disrupted the hotel industry and now aims to become a one-stop shop for all your travel needs, you can watch the complete episode of Next to Lead here.
Sheryl Estrada [email protected]
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