Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes: Are They Connected?
Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes have no known business tie. Blecharczyk is an engineer who cofounded Airbnb in 2008 and still shapes its strategy. Hayes is an accountant who climbed through United Technologies, became its CEO in 2014, and later led RTX. Hayes has since retired from RTX and joined new company boards. Blecharczyk’s wealth is estimated near $9 billion, while Hayes’s disclosed holdings sit near $107 million. Both figures move with share prices. Treat them as snapshots. People often search both names together after seeing them in the same business roundup. Their companies do share one thing: both depend on air travel. Everything here comes from company filings, official bios, and reported results.
Bio at a Glance: Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes
| Detail | Nathan Blecharczyk | Greg Hayes |
| Full name | Nathan Underwood Blecharczyk | Gregory J. Hayes |
| Born | 1983, West Roxbury, Boston | Around 1960 |
| Nationality | American | American |
| Education | Harvard University, computer science, class of 2005 | Purdue University, economics, and a certified public accountant |
| Early career | Engineer at Microsoft, OPNET Technologies, and Batiq | Finance executive at Sundstrand |
| Known for | Confounding Airbnb | Leading United Technologies and forming RTX |
| Top roles | First chief technology officer, chief strategy officer, chairman of Airbnb China | Chief financial officer, CEO of United Technologies, then CEO and chairman of RTX |
| Current roles | Chief strategy officer and director at Airbnb | Director at BD and Phillips 66, chairman of the National Academy Foundation |
| Wealth estimate | About $9.18 billion (Bloomberg) | About $107 million in disclosed holdings (MarketScreener, June 2026) |
Are Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes Connected?
Short answer: no. No filing, press release, or official bio ties them together. They have never run a company together. As far as public records show, neither has invested in the other’s business. Blecharczyk sits on Airbnb’s board. Hayes sits on the boards of BD and Phillips 66. Those boards do not overlap.
Where their worlds overlap
Air travel is the thread. Airbnb makes money when people book trips, and many of those trips involve a flight. RTX owns Pratt & Whitney, which builds jet engines. It also owns Collins Aerospace, which makes aircraft systems. So both companies rise and fall with travel demand.
2020 showed this clearly. Flights collapsed that spring. Airbnb cut about a quarter of its staff in May. Both companies also changed shape that year. RTX formed in April, and Airbnb went public in December.
Why some pages claim more
Some sites pair famous names because the pair gets clicks. They stretch thin facts into a story. If a page claims a deal or a friendship, look for a filing or a named source. If it cites none, move on. Investor pages and SEC filings settle most of these claims in minutes.
Who Is Nathan Blecharczyk?

Early life and education
Blecharczyk was born in 1983 and grew up in Boston. He attended Boston Latin Academy, one of the city’s public exam schools. He then earned a computer science degree at Harvard University in 2005.
He did not wait for graduation to start building. In high school, he ran a software business with customers in more than 20 countries, according to the World Economic Forum. After Harvard, he worked as an engineer at Microsoft, OPNET Technologies, and Batiq.
How Airbnb began
Blecharczyk found an apartment in San Francisco through a Craigslist ad and moved in with Joe Gebbia. Gebbia was already working with Brian Chesky on a plan to rent out air mattresses in their home. Blecharczyk joined as the technical cofounder. The website launched in August 2008.
Money was tight. During the 2008 presidential race, the founders sold cereal boxes with political themes to raise cash. Y Combinator, the startup accelerator, accepted Airbnb in 2009. That brought funding and advice. Blecharczyk wrote much of the original code, then built the engineering team.
His role today
Blecharczyk served as Airbnb’s first chief technology officer. In early 2017, he became chief strategy officer. That October, he also became chairman of Airbnb China, which goes by Aibiying locally. He still sits on the board. Earlier, in 2015, he oversaw Airbnb’s expansion into Cuba.
Airbnb is now a global platform. Bloomberg reports more than 5 million hosts and over 2 billion guests since 2008. The company reported about $12.2 billion in revenue for its latest full year, up 10%. Guests booked 533 million nights and seats, up 8%, according to its annual report filed with the SEC.
Growth now leans on new markets. Airbnb reported that nights booked by guests in India rose 50% in the last quarter of its latest full year. Brazil rose more than 20%. A chief strategy officer watches shifts like these closely.
Giving, family, and public life
On June 1, 2016, Blecharczyk, Chesky, and Gebbia signed the Giving Pledge. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates started that campaign. Signers promise to give away most of their wealth. Blecharczyk is married to Elizabeth Morey Blecharczyk, a neonatologist who treats newborns. They have two children and live in San Francisco.
Who Is Greg Hayes?

Education and early career
Hayes earned an economics degree from Purdue University and became a certified public accountant. That path made him a finance leader first and an operator second. Before United Technologies, he worked in finance at Sundstrand, an aerospace and industrial manufacturer.
RTX’s 2024 proxy statement listed his age as 63. It also credited him with 34 years of experience with the company and its predecessor.
Rise at United Technologies
Hayes joined United Technologies in 1999, when it merged with Sundstrand. He served as chief financial officer from 2008 to 2014. In November 2014, he became CEO, replacing Louis Chênevert. He added the chairman title in 2016.
As CEO, he turned a broad industrial group into a focused aerospace business. In 2015, he sold Sikorsky Aircraft, the helicopter maker, to Lockheed Martin. In 2018, he bought Rockwell Collins, which makes aircraft electronics. In 2020, he split off Otis, the elevator company, and Carrier, the heating and cooling business.
Creating RTX
The biggest move came in April 2020. United Technologies merged its aerospace units, Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace, with Raytheon Company. Raytheon brought missiles and defense systems. The combined firm covered engines, aircraft systems, and defense.
The new company was first called Raytheon Technologies. It became RTX in 2023. Hayes served as CEO and became chairman in 2021.
RTX is huge. It reported adjusted sales of $88.6 billion for its latest full year. Its backlog of future orders stood at $268 billion at year end. By mid 2026, that backlog hit a record $289 billion. The company now expects about $95 billion to $96 billion in sales this year. Hayes shaped the company behind those numbers.
The powder metal setback
Hayes faced one hard test near the end of his term. In 2023, RTX found a quality problem with powder metal used in some Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engine parts. Airlines had to inspect and pull engines early. In the third quarter of 2023, RTX took a charge of about $2.9 billion against operating profit. It also cut reported sales by about $5.4 billion. The board lowered Hayes’s bonus because of the matter. In December 2023, he announced that Calio would take over as CEO.
Stepping aside and life after RTX
Christopher Calio took over as CEO on May 2, 2024. Hayes became executive chairman. RTX announced in February 2025 that Hayes would leave the board. He stepped down on April 30, 2025. He then advised Calio until January 2, 2026. That role has ended.
Hayes has since taken on new work. He joined the board of BD, a medical technology company, in 2025. He has served on the board of Phillips 66, an energy company, since 2022. He also chairs the National Academy Foundation, a nonprofit that works on education.
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Career Timeline: Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes
This timeline shows how two careers ran side by side. It does not suggest a shared project.
| Year | Nathan Blecharczyk | Greg Hayes |
| 1999 | Still a student in Boston | Joins United Technologies through the Sundstrand merger |
| 2005 | Graduates from Harvard | Moves up through finance roles at United Technologies |
| 2008 | Airbnb website launches in August | Becomes chief financial officer |
| 2014 | Serves as Airbnb’s chief technology officer | Becomes CEO in November |
| 2015 | Oversees the Cuba expansion | Sells Sikorsky Aircraft |
| 2016 | Signs the Giving Pledge in June | Becomes chairman in September |
| 2017 | Becomes chief strategy officer, then Airbnb China chairman | Leads United Technologies |
| 2020 | Airbnb goes public in December | RTX forms in April, and Otis and Carrier spin off |
| 2024 | Remains chief strategy officer | Becomes executive chairman on May 2 |
| 2025 | Remains chief strategy officer | Leaves the RTX board on April 30 and joins the BD board |
| 2026 | Serves as chief strategy officer and director | Advisor role ends on January 2 |
How Their Leadership Paths Compare
The careers of Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes look alike from far away. Both reached the top tier of a major company. Up close, the roads were very different.
Founder and career executive

Blecharczyk built something from nothing. He wrote code, learned the business, and later moved into strategy. Hayes joined a company that already existed. He earned trust on the finance side, then took the top job. One man started the engine. The other learned how to rebuild it while it ran.
Engineer and accountant
An engineer asks how a thing works. An accountant asks what it costs and what it returns. You can see that split in their choices. Blecharczyk’s work centers on product, platform, and long range plans.
Hayes made his biggest calls through deals. He sold Sikorsky, bought Rockwell Collins, spun off Otis and Carrier, and formed RTX. That pattern reads as a dealmaker’s career. It is an observation, not a claim from either company.
Growth platform and industrial group
Airbnb grows when more hosts list homes and more guests book trips. RTX sells engines, avionics, and defense systems under contracts that can last for years. Airbnb has to win customers every season. RTX leans on long relationships with airlines and governments. Those models need different leaders. Neither style is better. Each fits its company.
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Net Worth and Pay
The net worth of Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes changes every trading day. Both men hold company stock. Read each figure as a snapshot, not a fixed number.
Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index puts Blecharczyk near $9.18 billion at its latest update. It counts about 62 million Airbnb shares, based on late filings. Some websites show far lower numbers, even under $1 billion. They appear to count only shares he holds directly, not shares in family trusts. Insider filings also show regular share sales in 2026. Selling shares does not erase wealth. It moves it from stock to cash.
MarketScreener estimated Hayes’s disclosed holdings at about $107 million in June 2026. Most of that is RTX stock. His pay is easier to check. RTX’s 2024 proxy statement shows the board approved an annual incentive of $2.78 million for 2023. It trimmed that award because of a manufacturing problem at Pratt & Whitney. His full package also included salary and stock awards. The proxy lists every number.
Why People Search for Both Names Together
Several things push these two names together. Business roundups list leaders from many industries on one page. Wealth rankings and board news mention both men. Some content sites join famous names in one headline to win clicks.
A reader who types Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes into a search bar usually wants one answer. Are they connected? The record says no. Many readers also mix up who leads which company. Blecharczyk belongs to Airbnb. Hayes belongs to RTX.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes business partners?
No. Public filings show no shared company, investment, or board seat. Each leads or led a separate firm in a separate industry.
What does Nathan Blecharczyk do now?
He is Airbnb’s chief strategy officer, a cofounder, and a director. He also chairs Airbnb China.
What does Greg Hayes do now?
Hayes retired from RTX. He sits on the boards of BD and Phillips 66. He also chairs the National Academy Foundation.
How old are they?
Blecharczyk was born in 1983. RTX’s proxy listed Hayes at 63 in early 2024, so he is in his mid sixties.
Where did each man study?
Blecharczyk studied computer science at Harvard University. Hayes earned an economics degree at Purdue University.
What is each man’s net worth?
Bloomberg estimates Blecharczyk at about $9.18 billion. One market data site puts Hayes’s disclosed holdings near $107 million. Both figures change with share prices.
Who replaced Greg Hayes at RTX?
Christopher Calio became CEO on May 2, 2024. He also became chairman when Hayes left the board on April 30, 2025.
Did Greg Hayes ever work at Airbnb?
No. According to their official bios, Hayes has never held a role at Airbnb. Blecharczyk has never held one at RTX or United Technologies.
Who cofounded Airbnb with Blecharczyk?
Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia cofounded Airbnb with him in 2008.
Conclusion
Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes share headlines, not a company. Blecharczyk is an engineer who cofounded Airbnb and still guides its strategy. Hayes is an accountant who rose to lead United Technologies and then RTX. He has since retired and joined new boards.
No filing links the two men in business. Their only common ground is air travel, which shapes both Airbnb and RTX. Wealth figures for each man will keep moving with the stock market. If you read a page claiming a partnership, check the SEC filings and investor pages first. The facts rarely support that kind of story.








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