Tesla appoints Airbnb founder Gibia as the new director

Tesla Inc has named Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia just three months after Oracle founder Larry Ellison stepped down as an independent director. Tesla now has a total of eight directors, including CEO Elon Musk and his brother Kimbal Musk.

Tesla disclosed the appointment of Gibia in a securities filing on Wednesday, effective Sept. 25. The move brings another apparent friend and ally of Musk to the Tesla board. The two entrepreneurs have been in touch since at least 2018 when Musk announced plans to take Tesla private at $420 a share in a now-infamous tweet, "Baller move. ' Gibia texted Musk at the time.

In July, Gibia stepped down from his role at Airbnb. He said in an open letter at the time that he would spend more time with his family and explore new projects. He co-founded Airbnb in 2008 with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk. Gibia will continue to serve on Airbnb's board of directors and its nonprofit Airbnb.org.