Jay Carney leaving Amazon to join Airbnb

Jay Carney, a former White House press secretary under former President Obama, is leaving his role as head of Amazon’s global affairs for a top policy job at Airbnb.

Airbnb announced Friday that Carney will start there in September, reporting to co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky, and will be based in Washington, D.C.

Carney, who has been the senior vice president of global corporate affairs at Amazon since 2015, previously was Obama’s spokesman from 2011 to 2014. Before that, he was communications director for then-Vice President Biden.

“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,” Chesky said in a statement on the hire. “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.”

Carney spent two decades at Time magazine before entering government with the Obama administration. He cited the “potential for travel to promote economic and social good” as motivating his shift to his new role with Airbnb.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Airbnb to help guide its work to connect communities and people through travel, drive economic participation and help us discover that while our differences are real, they are overwhelmed by our similarities,” he said.

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