Business

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s One Rule for Remote, Hybrid Work

1739222043 Brian Chesky GettyImages 2188129181

Airbnb announced a Live and Work Anywhere remote work policy in April 2022, which allows the company’s global employees to work from home from any location — as long as they meet up in person regularly for team gatherings.

Now Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is clarifying for the first time what he means by “regular” meetups.

“I have a simple rule: we basically ask people to come to San Francisco one week a month,” Chesky told host Bob Safian on a recent episode of the Masters of Scale Rapid Response podcast. “Some people come for just two or three days. Some people come for the full week.”

^{Brian Chesky. Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for WIRED}

Chesky calls the return-to-office week a “gathering week” when Airbnb coordinates everyone being together in San Francisco. The focus is on collaboration, not on getting people to work harder by having them show up to the office, he says.

“I have not found a huge value in people being in the office all the time,” Chesky said, adding, “What I want is, for the most part, people coming to the San Francisco office, but I can’t get everyone to move here to San Francisco, and I can’t get them to fly here every week.”

Most Airbnb employees are based in San Francisco, Chesky says. Airbnb flies out-of-state or out-of-country employees to the San Francisco office once a month for in-person meetups. Chesky says that the cost is worth it and more affordable than thousands of people coming to work in person five days per week. Even if it was more expensive, he says it would still be worth it.

“I think the output for us is superior,” Chesky said.

Since Airbnb introduced its Live and Work Anywhere, about 20% of employees have relocated to states within the U.S. or abroad. According to Forbes, Airbnb has 6,907 employees.

Chesky also stated in the interview that the way to make a team work harder wasn’t by forcing them to work in person from the office but by setting rigorous milestones.

“If you want a team to work harder, don’t make them come to the office, give them a crazy deadline and check on their progress every week,” Chesky said. “That’s how you get them to work harder, not by being in the office.”

Several large companies have issued return-to-office mandates recently. JPMorgan, for example, announced a mandate last month directing its 300,000-person workforce to work from the office every weekday beginning in March. Gap stated a goal earlier this month of having its corporate employees back in the office five days a week by the fall.

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Business

Chuck E. Cheese Is Opening an Arcade Concept for Adults

1751485629 chucks arcade and pizzeria in kansas city mo

Kids’ eatery and birthday party staple Chuck E. Cheese is opening an arcade concept for adults featuring the company’s classic games, new technology, and its famed animatronic characters, according to a press release.

The concept, which was announced on Monday, caters to adults longing for childhood nostalgia and those who grew up going to Chuck E. Cheese restaurants. The 10 Chuck’s Arcade locations will open in eight states, including the one-of-a-kind Chuck’s Arcade and Pizzeria in Kansas City, Missouri, the company notes, which features a full menu.

“Chuck E. Cheese has spent decades mastering the arcade experience — it’s in our DNA,” said David McKillips, CEO of Chuck E. Cheese, in a statement. “Chuck’s Arcade is a natural evolution — an opportunity to extend our arcade legacy into new formats that engage both lifelong fans and a new generation through a curated mix of retro classics and cutting-edge experiences.”

^{Chuck E Cheese Statue and Retro Games at Chuck’s Arcade in Buford, GA. Provided by Chuck E. Cheese.}

Chuck’s Arcade locations are now open in major malls in St. Petersburg, Florida; Trumbull, Connecticut; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Victor, New York; Buford, Georgia; El Paso, Texas; Nashua and Salem, New Hampshire; and St. Louis, Missouri. There are “more locations on the horizon,” the company said.

Each arcade is “overseen” by an animatronic character from Chuck E. Cheese’s of the past, which will now stand “watch as a nostalgic nod rather than performing.” Some locations will have retro-themed merchandise, according to the press release, including logoed apparel, toys, novelty candy, and classic prize redemption items.

^{Merchandise Counter at Chuck’s Arcade in Buford, GA}

Although the company says the concept was “created for adults and lifelong fans,” it doesn’t say that kids aren’t allowed, per se, as most are located in malls. Check your local location for more information.

Click here for the full list of Chuck’s Arcade locations.

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Business

The Dumbbell Investing Strategy: Balancing Risk and Safety

Ever since I left my day job in 2012, I’ve used a form of the dumbbell investing strategy to grow my wealth while protecting against large losses. It’s a framework that’s helped me stay invested during uncertain times—especially when I felt the urge to hoard cash or sit on the sidelines.

If you’re in a situation where you know you should take some risk, but you’re also worried about losing money, the dumbbell investing strategy is worth considering.

Table of Contents

What Is the Dumbbell Investing Strategy?

The dumbbell investing strategy involves allocating a roughly equal portion of your investable assets into high-risk, high-reward investments on one end, and low-risk, capital-preserving investments on the other.

If you’re operating with a 50/50 risk split—like I suggest in my post about when to stop taking excess risk—you’re already applying a version of the strategy. It’s especially useful when you’re uncertain about the macroeconomic environment or your personal financial situation.

Why I First Embraced the Dumbbell Strategy

The most uncertain times in my life were:

Graduating from college without a written offer from a Wall Street firm
Leaving my career at 34 and wondering whether I had made a huge mistake
Becoming a father in 2017 and questioning whether our passive income was truly enough

Each time, I wanted to invest in my future and my family’s, but fear held me back. So I deployed the dumbbell investing strategy after I retired and when I became a father to give myself the psychological permission to take action. Because the longer you avoid taking any investment risk, the more likely you are to fall behind.

Why I’m Deploying the Dumbbell Strategy Again in 2025

Today, I’m more financially secure than in the past. But I’m also a lifelong investor, and right now the market gives me pause. Between tariffs, new legislation, stretched valuations, elevated interest rates, and AI hype cycles, I’m not rushing to load up on the S&P 500 at 22X forward earnings.

Still, I believe in dollar-cost averaging and that the market will be higher over time. But when uncertainty is high, the temptation to hoard cash increases. The problem? By the time certainty returns, the easy gains have often already been made.

Take the March–April 2025 tariff-induced selloff. If you waited for resolution, instead of buying the dip, you would’ve missed out on a 20%+ rebound. The best returns tend to go to those who act when others are frozen.

This is why, rather than stop investing, I’m leaning on the dumbbell strategy again.

The Conservative End of My Dumbbell

As the person responsible for our family’s financial well-being, I feel constant pressure to deliver a good-enough lifestyle, if not a great lifestyle. Every dollar saved or invested in risk-free income is a step closer to peace of mind.

My ultimate goal is to generate $380,000 in gross passive income a year, up from about $320,000 currently. That $60,000 gap is what I’m methodically trying to close by the end of 2027.

With Treasury yields still above 4%, I saw a great opportunity to lock in solid returns with no risk. So I deployed capital into a mix of short-term and longer-duration government bonds.

On one end of my dumbbell, I purchased:

$100,993.74 in 3-month Treasury bills yielding ~4.45%
These will mature soon, and I’ll continue to roll them into similar duration or longer-term bonds, depending on interest rate trends

Over the next 12 months, this position alone will generate roughly $4,450 in risk-free passive income, reducing my annual deficit to about $53,550. Passive income progress feels wonderful!

Dumbbell investing strategy - Conservative Party with $100,000 in Treasury Bills

The Aggressive End Of My Dumbbell

Now that I’ve shored up the conservative end of my dumbbell investing strategy, it’s time to swing to the aggressive side.

I could simply invest another $100,000 into the S&P 500, which I normally allocate around 70% of my public equity exposure to. But the S&P 500 feels expensive today, and I’m already heavily invested. Instead, I want to put capital toward what I’m both most interested in—and most concerned about: artificial intelligence.

AI is already disrupting the job market, and my biggest worry is that it will make spending a fortune on college an increasingly poor financial decision. Entry-level jobs are at the highest risk of being automated or eliminated. As a parent of two young children (8 and 5), this concern weighs heavily on my mind.

To hedge against a potentially difficult employment future for them, I feel it’s imperative to invest in the very technology that might harm their prospects. Ideally, they’ll learn how to harness AI to boost their productivity, or even join an AI company and build wealth of their own. But those outcomes are uncertain.

What I can do now is invest directly in the AI revolution on their behalf.

Investing In Artificial Intelligence

As a result, I’ve invested another $100,000 in Fundrise Venture, which holds positions in leading AI companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Databricks, and Anduril. If AI ends up eating the world, I want to make sure they have a seat at the table—at least financially. I’m also investing additional capital through closed-end venture capital funds as they call capital. I’m also investing additional capital through closed-end venture capital funds as they call capital.

My hope is that owning a basket of private AI companies will compound at a much faster rate than the S&P 500, given these companies are growing much faster. But of course, there are no guarantees.

Financial Samurai Innovation Fund investment

The Dumbbell Investment Strategy Is Best for Deploying New Cash

The dumbbell investing strategy made it easy for me to invest a little over $200,000 in cash from my home sale. Allocating $100,000 into T-bills gives me peace of mind that, no matter how bad the economy or markets get, at least half of my investment is completely safe and earning risk-free interest.

Meanwhile, if AI mania continues, I have $100,000 positioned to ride the wave higher. Both allocations make me feel good—and how you feel about your investments matters. The more confident you are, the more likely you’ll stay invested and keep building wealth by investing more. That’s why, if I receive another influx of cash or want to redeploy existing funds, I’ll likely continue growing this dumbbell strategy.

The dumbbell approach works best when you have new money to invest or idle cash sitting around during uncertain times. However, rebalancing an existing portfolio into a 50/50 split between risk-free and risk assets is a different matter. Your broader asset allocation should reflect your age and stage in life. A 50/50 allocation might be appropriate, but large rebalancing moves can trigger tax consequences you must consider carefully.

Example Of Using The Dumbbell Strategy To Get To An Ideal Overall Net Worth Allocation

For example, suppose I already have a $1 million investment portfolio and inherit $200,000 in cash, bringing my net worth to $1.2 million. At 45 years old with 10 more years of planned work ahead, I’m comfortable taking more risk. I’d be fine investing 90% of my net worth ($1,080,000) in risk assets and starting a side business to pursue growth opportunities.

If my original portfolio consisted of $980,000 in risk assets and $20,000 in cash and bonds, I could easily apply the dumbbell strategy by allocating $100,000 of the new cash to municipal bonds and $100,000 to stocks. This would bring my total to $1,080,000 (90%) in risk assets and $120,000 (10%) in risk-free investments—perfectly aligning with my ideal 90/10 allocation.

Conclusion: A Simple Framework for Peace of Mind and Growth

The dumbbell investing strategy offers a clear and practical way to deploy new cash, especially during times of uncertainty. By allocating capital to both low-risk and high-risk assets, you gain the emotional reassurance of safety while maintaining exposure to upside potential. It’s a flexible approach that can be tailored to your financial goals, risk tolerance, and stage in life.

Whether you’re investing an inheritance, reallocating proceeds from a home sale, or simply sitting on excess cash, the dumbbell strategy provides structure without sacrificing opportunity. Best of all, it helps you stay motivated and confident—two essential ingredients for long-term investing success.

So the next time you find yourself with idle cash and decision paralysis, consider the dumbbell approach. You just might sleep better at night while still building wealth during the day.

Readers, have you ever considered using the dumbbell investing strategy during times of uncertainty? What potential flaws or additional benefits do you see with this approach? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Balance Risk and Reward With a Free Financial Check-Up

If you’re sitting on new cash or reevaluating your portfolio during uncertain times, a second opinion can make all the difference. One smart move is to get a free financial check-up from a seasoned Empower financial advisor.

Whether you have $100,000 or more in taxable accounts, savings, IRAs, or a 401(k), an Empower advisor can help you spot hidden fees, unbalanced allocations, or overlooked opportunities to improve your risk-adjusted returns. It’s a no-obligation way to stress-test your current strategy—whether you’re building a dumbbell portfolio or considering a full rebalance.

Clarity brings confidence. And when it comes to investing, confidence helps you stay the course.

The statement is provided to you by Financial Samurai (“Promoter”) who has entered into a written referral agreement with Empower Advisory Group, LLC (“EAG”). Click here to learn more.

Go Beyond Stocks and Bonds: Passive Real Estate Investing with Fundrise

A classic dumbbell strategy includes bonds and equities—but don’t forget about real estate. I like to treat real estate as a hybrid: it offers the income stability of bonds with the potential appreciation of stocks.

I’ve invested over $400,000 with Fundrise, a platform that allows you to passively invest in diversified portfolios of residential and industrial properties—many in the high-growth Sunbelt region. With over $3 billion in assets under management and a low $10 minimum, Fundrise has been a core part of my investment strategy, especially when I’ve had cash to redeploy.

Want exposure to the next wave of innovation? Fundrise also offers Venture, giving you access to private AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Databricks. As mentioned earlier, I’m heavily focused on AI’s transformative potential and want exposure not just for returns—but for my kids’ future too.

With a dumbbell strategy, it’s not just about balance—it’s about positioning yourself for both security and growth.

To increase your chances of achieving financial independence, join 60,000+ readers and subscribe to my free Financial Samurai newsletter here. Financial Samurai began in 2009 and is the leading independently-owned personal finance site today. Everything is written based off firsthand experience.

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Business

AI Startup TML From Ex-OpenAI Exec Mira Murati Pays $500,000

1751399977 Mira Murati GettyImages 1730510306

The $10 billion AI startup Thinking Machines Lab (TML), which was founded by former OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati in February, is paying its technical talent up to half a million dollars in salary, according to federal data obtained by Business Insider.

The federal filings, which show how much TML’s hires on H-1B visas were being paid, showed that the company paid three technical staffers $450,000 each, while a fourth received $500,000 in compensation. The figures were from the first quarter of this year and just included salary, not added sign-on bonuses and equity awards. The H-1B allows U.S. employers to hire non-U.S. residents to work in specialty occupations.

The compensation is more than some major players, including Murati’s former company, OpenAI, which reported paying an average salary of $292,115 to 29 technical employees. Anthropic, meanwhile, paid an average salary of $387,500 to 14 employees.

Murati spent six and a half years at OpenAI before stepping down as CTO in September.

TML has yet to launch any public-facing products, though the secretive startup raised $2 billion in seed funding last month at a $10 billion valuation. Its website says that the startup is working “to make AI systems more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable.”

^{TML CEO Mira Murati. Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP}

High salaries are just one tactic in Silicon Valley’s AI talent wars. Last month, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that Meta was trying to poach OpenAI researchers with “giant” signing bonuses of “$100 million” and “even more than that” in compensation.

In fact, six top OpenAI researchers have joined Meta in the past few weeks as part of its new superintelligence team. The group included Shuchao Bi, co-creator of ChatGPT voice mode, and Shengjia Zhao, who co-created ChatGPT and previously led synthetic data at OpenAI.

Still, according to a leaked memo sent by OpenAI’s Chief Research Officer Mark Chen on Saturday to staff, the company isn’t “sitting idly by.” Top OpenAI leaders, including CEO Sam Altman, are “recalibrating” compensation and finding “creative ways” to reward talent, Chen noted.