Airbnb welcomes former Amazon executive Jay Carney as its new policy and PR chief

Airbnb has hired Amazon’s former public relations and policy head, Jay Carney. The executive has left the e-commerce and tech giant to join the American vacation rental firm and work in the same job position.

Carney was Amazon’s top spokesman, and he will now move to Airbnb as its new PR and policy chief. The 57-year-old will fill the role previously held by Chris Lehane, who quit earlier this year to work for a cryptocurrency startup. Carney is set to formally start working at the company in September.

As per CNBC, he will be directly reporting to Airbnb’s co-founder and chief executive officer, Brian Chesky. Once he joins the company, it was reported that he will be based in Washington, D.C.

Prior to his move, he has been with Amazon since 2015. He also served former President Barack Obama as the White House press secretary from 2011 to 2014. Before working at the White House, he was a political journalist for 20 years at Time Magazine.

At Amazon, Carney was said to be part of Jeff Bezos’ elite S-team, and he has been in that group even when Andy Jassy took over as the company’s chief last year. His departure from the e-commerce giant is the latest high-profile exit as the company is facing a host of challenges, including regulatory conflicts in both Europe and the U.S., dealing with labor issues, and inflation.

“Jay has worked at the highest levels of both government and technology, serving as a strategic counselor to the President, and at one of the largest tech companies in the world,” Airbnb’s CEO said in a press release.

He added, “When you combine that with the two decades he spent on the ground as a journalist, he brings a deep understanding of the needs of multiple stakeholders. Jay is also a passionate advocate for community engagement and is committed to ensuring that Airbnb is a force for good. He’s the perfect person to lead Policy and Communications at Airbnb.”

Andy Jassy, Amazon’s CEO, also released a note regarding Carney’s departure. As published on CNBC, the memo also stated that the company will start looking for someone who will replace Jay. “In the interim, Brian Huseman, Susan Pointer, and Michael Punke will report to David Zapolsky, and Drew Herdener will report to me,” the chief further said.