Last updated: October 2026
Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes are two well-known business leaders, but they work in very different industries. Blecharczyk co-founded Airbnb, the travel platform. Hayes led United Technologies and then RTX, a large aerospace and defense company. This guide puts both life stories in one place. It also clears up one common confusion: after checking many sources, I found no confirmed business partnership between them. They are two separate people, so each gets their own profile below.
Quick Facts: Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes
| Detail | Nathan Blecharczyk | Greg (Gregory J.) Hayes |
|---|---|---|
| Born | 1983 (exact date not public) | Around 1960–61 (reported as age 64 in March 2025) |
| Grew up | Boston, Massachusetts | Williamsville, New York |
| Education | Computer science degree, Harvard | Economics degree, Purdue (1982) |
| Known for | Co-founding Airbnb | Leading United Technologies (UTC) and RTX |
| Role in 2026 | Chief Strategy Officer, Airbnb; Chairman of Airbnb China | Retired from RTX; sits on other company boards |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Morey Blecharczyk | Not confirmed in sources I checked |
| Net worth (estimated, as of 2026) | Estimates vary widely, from a few billion dollars to more | About $100 million in disclosed RTX shares (not a confirmed net worth) |
Are Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes Connected?
I searched for any shared company, board seat, or joint project and found none. Searches for both names together mostly return separate pages about each man. If you know of a verified link, please tell us, and we will check it.
Nathan Blecharczyk: Life Story
Early Life and Education
Blecharczyk was born in 1983 and grew up in Boston. He attended Boston Latin Academy and graduated in 2001. He taught himself programming as a child. In a 2025 interview, he said his first business began around age 12 and ran for four or five years during school. Business media reported that it earned close to one million dollars.
He then studied computer science at Harvard. Wikipedia notes that this early web-hosting business was once listed by the anti-spam group Spamhaus, because some of its customers sent spam. He wound down the business around 2002 to focus on his studies.
Before Airbnb
Before Airbnb, Blecharczyk worked as an engineer at Microsoft, OPNET Technologies, and Batiq. He later moved into an apartment with Joe Gebbia after seeing an ad on Craigslist. That connection led to Airbnb.
Building Airbnb
Airbnb began in 2008, and Blecharczyk, Gebbia, and Brian Chesky are its three co-founders. Blecharczyk was the first engineer and the company’s first chief technology officer. He helped build the engineering, data science, payments, and performance marketing teams.
His work also covered trust and safety tools, such as the payment system, two-way reviews, and reservation screening. In 2015 he oversaw Airbnb’s expansion into Cuba. In early 2017 he became chief strategy officer, and in October 2017 he was named chairman of Airbnb China.
Airbnb went public in December 2020. Forbes reported that shares priced at $68 and then rose above $145 on the first day. On that day, each of the three co-founders was reported to be worth more than $10 billion.
Recent News in 2025 and 2026
In November 2025, Common Sense Media added Blecharczyk to its board of directors.
In 2026, public SEC filings show he sold Airbnb shares many times. The filings say these sales followed a trading plan adopted on August 28, 2025. One large sale on August 7 involved 531,000 shares at an average price near $174, worth about $92.6 million, according to a market report. Another sale on October 12 covered 13,615 shares, worth about $2.25 million. Pre-set plans like this are common for founders.
Personal Life and Giving
Blecharczyk is married to Elizabeth Morey Blecharczyk, a neonatologist (a doctor for newborn babies). They live in San Francisco, and Airbnb says they have hosted guests for years. The couple signed the Giving Pledge. In 2019, he donated $1 million to Boston Latin Academy.
Net Worth
Net worth figures for him differ a lot from site to site. One site, citing Forbes, gives about $3.6 billion. Another database valued his shares at about $6.25 billion in December 2025, and a third profile claims $9.4 billion. Treat any figure as an estimate for 2026, not a confirmed fact.
Greg Hayes: Life Story
Early Life and Education
Hayes grew up in Williamsville, New York, and graduated from Williamsville South High School in 1978. He first thought about becoming a lawyer and spent a year at Cornell University. He decided that path was wrong for him and moved to Purdue, where he earned an economics-focused management degree in May 1982. He later became a certified public accountant and worked in public accounting for almost eight years.
Career at Sundstrand and United Technologies
Hayes then joined Sundstrand Corporation. He has said he moved seven times in his first ten years there. United Technologies (UTC) bought Sundstrand in 1999, and Hayes stayed on with UTC.
From 2008 to 2014, he served as UTC’s chief financial officer. During that time, UTC bought Goodrich, took a majority interest in the International Aero Engines program, and sold more than $8 billion of non-core businesses. He became UTC’s chief executive in November 2014 and its chairman in September 2016.
Leading RTX
As CEO, Hayes reshaped UTC from a wide industrial group into a focused aerospace company. The main steps were:
- 2015: sale of Sikorsky Aircraft
- 2018: purchase of Rockwell Collins
- 2020: spin-offs of Otis and Carrier
- April 2020: merger of UTC’s aerospace businesses with Raytheon, creating what is now RTX
He led RTX as CEO until May 2, 2024, when Christopher Calio took over. Hayes then served as executive chairman.
Stepping Down
On February 3, 2025, RTX announced that Hayes would leave his chairman role and the board on April 30, 2025. Calio became chairman. According to an SEC filing, Hayes stayed on as a special advisor to the CEO through January 2, 2026. RTX’s 2026 proxy statement confirms that he stepped down in 2025.
Other Public Moments
Hayes joined President Trump’s American Manufacturing Council in January 2017 and resigned in August 2017. In September 2022, China announced sanctions on him, which reports described as mostly symbolic. In May 2021, Purdue gave him an honorary doctorate.
Boards and Other Roles
Business databases list Hayes as a director of Becton, Dickinson and Company (joined March 26, 2025) and Phillips 66 (since July 2022). Boards change, so check each company’s website for current details.
Personal Life and Net Worth
I could not find reliable, public details about his family, so I have left them out. A stock database valued his reported RTX shares at roughly $100 million in mid-2026. That figure covers one holding only. It is an estimate, not his confirmed net worth.
Side-by-Side Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Hayes graduates from Purdue |
| 1999 | UTC acquires Sundstrand, where Hayes works |
| 2008 | Airbnb begins; Hayes becomes UTC’s CFO |
| 2014 | Hayes becomes UTC CEO |
| 2017 | Blecharczyk becomes chief strategy officer and Airbnb China chairman |
| 2020 | Airbnb goes public; UTC and Raytheon merge into RTX |
| 2024 | Hayes steps down as RTX CEO |
| 2025 | Hayes leaves the RTX board; Blecharczyk joins Common Sense Media’s board |
| 2026 | Blecharczyk continues planned share sales; Hayes holds outside board seats |
Common Mistakes Found Online
While comparing sources, I noticed several errors that some sites repeat:
- Some pages still call Blecharczyk the CTO. He was the first CTO, but his current title is chief strategy officer.
- Some low-quality pages give the wrong college, birth year, or spouse name. Reliable sources say Harvard, 1983, and Elizabeth.
- Some older pages still describe Hayes as RTX’s CEO or executive chairman. He left the CEO role in May 2024 and the chairman role in April 2025.
How This Was Researched
I researched these profiles using company statements, SEC filings, university interviews, business news coverage, and public interviews. I compared top-ranking biography pages and found that most cover only one man, repeat old job titles, or mix up basic facts. Where details were unclear, such as family information or exact net worth, I said so instead of guessing. This article tries to fill the gap by explaining that these are two separate people and by using up-to-date 2026 sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes? Nathan Blecharczyk is a co-founder and chief strategy officer of Airbnb. Greg Hayes is the former CEO and chairman of RTX and, before that, of United Technologies. They work in different industries.
Did Nathan Blecharczyk and Greg Hayes work together? I found no verified joint company, board seat, or project. They appear to be unrelated.
What does Nathan Blecharczyk do now? He is Airbnb’s chief strategy officer and chairman of Airbnb China. He also joined the Common Sense Media board in November 2025.
Is Greg Hayes still the CEO of RTX? No. He stepped down as CEO on May 2, 2024. He left the chairman role and the board on April 30, 2025.
How much is Nathan Blecharczyk worth? Sources disagree. Estimates range from about $3.6 billion to well above $6 billion. Any figure is an estimate as of 2026.
How much is Greg Hayes worth? His reported RTX shares were valued at about $100 million in mid-2026. His full net worth is not confirmed.
Accuracy Note
This biography is based on publicly available information, including company statements, SEC filings, interviews, and news coverage. Net worth figures are estimates and change often. If you spot anything outdated or incorrect, please let us know so we can update it.
Written and researched by Abdul Wahab, contributor at NoblePenMagazine.
