In a move that has surprised some and intrigued many, President Donald Trump has announced the creation of a new federal position: U.S. Chief Design Officer. The inaugural post will be filled by none other than Joe Gebbia, co-founder of the home rental giant Airbnb, as reported by Bloomberg and Reuters on August 21 and 22, 2025. The appointment is part of the administration’s "America by Design" initiative, a sweeping effort aimed at revitalizing the way Americans interact with government through improved design—both digital and physical.
President Trump, known for his penchant for bold executive orders, signed the directive on August 21, 2025, officially launching the initiative and the new role. In a statement quoted by Bloomberg, Trump declared, "I am announcing 'America by Design,' a national initiative to improve experiences for Americans, starting by breathing new life into the design of sites where people interface with their government." He went on to emphasize, "It is time to update the government's design language to be both usable and beautiful. This effort will be facilitated by a new National Design Studio and by a new chief design officer."
Joe Gebbia’s appointment comes at a time when design and user experience are increasingly seen as critical to public trust and efficiency in government. According to reporting from Skift, Gebbia has already been dipping his toes into the federal design pool, working to redesign the look and feel of the government’s retirement system for the Department of Government Efficiency. Although a spokesperson for Gebbia did not respond to requests for comment, Airbnb acknowledged the development, reiterating his design credentials from his time at the company.
The new Chief Design Officer will have a broad and influential mandate. As outlined in the executive order and detailed by Bloomberg, Gebbia is tasked with recruiting top creative talent and consulting with executive departments and agencies across the federal government. His charge? To improve the design of everything from government websites to the physical spaces where Americans interact with federal services.
The scope of the National Design Studio, which Gebbia will lead, is ambitious. It will span both digital and physical design, working to "reduce duplicative design costs" and standardize the look and feel of high-impact federal services, according to the White House. The ultimate goal is to boost public trust by making these services more user-friendly and visually appealing.
Gebbia’s credentials for the new role are hard to dispute. He co-founded Airbnb in 2008 alongside Brian Chesky and Nathan Blecharczyk, helping to build it into a household name and a global platform that reshaped the travel and hospitality industry. Beyond Airbnb, Gebbia is the founder of Samara, a company focused on designing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) that address housing shortages with innovative, modular solutions. His background as a designer is extensive: he trained formally in design and has even created modular office furniture for Bernhardt Design, a respected U.S. manufacturer.
The "America by Design" initiative is not the first time President Trump has sought to leave his mark on the country’s built environment and public amenities. According to Reuters, he has previously signed executive orders promoting "beautiful federal civic architecture" and, in a characteristically unconventional move, ordered efforts to "make America's showers great again." Most recently, he commissioned McCrery Architects to add a neoclassical ballroom to the White House on the site of the East Wing, underscoring his ongoing interest in the aesthetics of government spaces.
But this latest initiative marks a significant shift toward integrating design thinking into the very fabric of government operations. The role of Chief Design Officer is envisioned as a linchpin for bringing creative expertise into the heart of federal decision-making. The National Design Studio, under Gebbia’s leadership, will not only advise agencies on improving their digital services but will also tackle physical design challenges, aiming for a more cohesive and cost-effective approach across the board.
Reporting by Skift and Bloomberg suggests that Gebbia’s appointment could be a double-edged sword for Airbnb. While it highlights the company’s influence and the caliber of its founders, it also presents a new set of challenges as one of its key figures takes on a high-profile role in government. Airbnb’s official response, as cited by Skift, was to refer back to previous statements regarding Gebbia’s ongoing involvement with the company, perhaps signaling a desire to keep the focus on its business rather than politics.
The executive order establishing the Chief Design Officer position details a number of core responsibilities. According to the White House, the CDO will "help recruit top creative talent, coordinate with executive departments and agencies, and devise innovative solutions." The hope is that by bringing in leaders like Gebbia, the government can finally bridge the gap between clunky, outdated systems and the kind of seamless, engaging experiences Americans have come to expect from the private sector.
The National Design Studio’s mandate to "reduce duplicative design costs" is particularly noteworthy. In an era of tight budgets and growing scrutiny over government spending, the promise of streamlining design efforts across agencies could win support from both fiscal conservatives and advocates for good governance. At the same time, the focus on "standardised design" aims to create a sense of continuity and reliability in the way citizens experience government services—an issue that has long plagued federal websites and offices, which often feel disconnected and inconsistent.
Gebbia’s track record suggests he is up to the task. At Airbnb, he was known for running a design studio that prioritized user experience and innovation. His work with Samara and Bernhardt Design further demonstrates his ability to think outside the box and deliver solutions that are both practical and elegant. As the U.S. embarks on this new chapter of design-driven governance, many will be watching to see how Gebbia applies his skills to the complex, sometimes unwieldy machinery of federal administration.
Of course, the move is not without its critics. Some skeptics have questioned whether a tech entrepreneur’s approach will translate to the slower, more bureaucratic pace of government. Others worry about the potential for conflicts of interest, given Gebbia’s ongoing ties to Airbnb and other ventures. Still, the prospect of a more beautiful, usable, and trustworthy government interface is hard to argue with, and supporters are optimistic that Gebbia’s leadership will set a new standard for public service design.
As the "America by Design" initiative gets underway, the stakes are high. If successful, it could transform not just the look and feel of government services, but also the way Americans perceive and engage with their government. For now, all eyes are on Joe Gebbia and the National Design Studio as they set out to make the machinery of government a little more human—and a lot more beautiful.
