The former head of Amazon Prime is now turning his attention to the home-sharing and travel market.
After 18 years at Amazon, Greg Greeley is joining Airbnb as its President of Homes, heading up one of the company's four business units. Greeley announced on LinkedIn on Monday that he would be leaving Amazon to "take on a different challenge."
"Greg will join our executive team and report directly to me," Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said in a blog post Tuesday. "Even among an amazing and diverse slate of candidates, Greg stood out for his phenomenal customer-first approach, global operations excellence, and a decades-long commitment to developing and mentoring talented leaders."
Greeley told CNBC, "Words can't express how excited I am to join the Airbnb team. I've used Airbnb for years, and the chance to work here and expand the positive impact its community is having around the world is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Most recently Greeley was the former VP of Amazon Prime and delivery experience. He helped create Amazon's Prime business and previously helped build out Amazon's European business. CNBC recently reported that Greeley would be turning his attention to Amazon-owned Whole Foods and focusing their further integration, including making Amazon Prime part of Whole Foods' customer rewards program.
According to a source, Greeley had previously gotten an offer from Airbnb competitor Bookings.com. When Greeley was living in Europe and expanding Amazon's reach there, Bookings.com tried to hire him as its CEO, but he declined.
The rivalry between Bookings.com and Airbnb has been growing, with both moving onto each other's turfs. As Bookings.com has started offering short-term home and apartment rentals on its platform, Airbnb is expanding their offerings.
It has made it easier for hotels to list on its site and is expanding the type and quality of its listings. It's also diversifying into new businesses such as their "Trips" product. Airbnb also recently announced a loyalty program expected to launch later this year.
Airbnb says it hired Greeley for his experience in global operations and expanding businesses overseas and his experience with creating a robust membership program. "He led and helped make Amazon Prime into what it is today -- one of the most loved membership programs in the world," a news release said.
Both are areas Airbnb has signaled it will continue to build out.