Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s X account was compromised this week, and the attacker used it to publish a string of AI-generated posts about real-world asset tokenization, or RWA. The posts collected more than 700,000 views before they were taken down.
Chesky joked after regaining control
According to CoinDesk, Chesky posted on X after recovering the account and mocked the situation, writing, “Thanks to the hacker for bringing me a bunch of crypto followers — I should warn them in advance that I will be a very boring person to follow.”
He later added: “To the person who hacked my account earlier this week: thank you for bringing me so many new crypto followers. To my new crypto followers: I should warn you that following me may be disappointing.”
The hacked account pushed AI-written RWA commentary
While the account was under someone else’s control, posts published in Chesky’s name argued that tokenization could make buildings, bonds, and funds easier to split, trade, and settle. On the surface, the material read like serious commentary on RWA. ABMedia said the text was AI-generated and lacked concrete facts, the kind of content often labeled “AI slop” by industry participants.
What made the episode unusual was what the posts did not contain. There was no token address, no wallet link, and no investment funnel attached to them. That sets the case apart from the more typical pattern in which compromised accounts are used to push a token, direct users to a wallet, or route traffic into a scam.
Motive remains unclear
It is still unclear whether the attacker was simply chasing attention or trying to warm up the market for an RWA narrative that had yet to be rolled out. Airbnb has not released a formal statement. X also has not publicly explained how the account was taken over, or whether any other high-profile accounts were affected at the same time.
“AI slop” attacks are emerging as a new social-engineering play
The Chesky incident is the latest example in a recent string of takeovers involving prominent X accounts that were then used to promote AI-generated crypto narratives. In earlier account hijack cases, attackers often pushed a specific token or wallet link, making the fraud easier to spot.
This newer “AI slop” approach uses long-form posts that look professional enough to blur the line between a hacked-account scam and a genuine market view. It may also be better suited to gain distribution through X’s algorithm. In this case, the RWA posts passed 700,000 views before they were removed.