10 Airbnb AI and data science leaders
Sanjeev Katariya, Head of AI Platform Architecure at Airbnb, opens this list of Airbnb AI and data science leaders, which also includes heads of AI/ML engineering and data science and directors of ML/AI, AI experiences and platforms, and data science. A reader can learn how AI and data science leaders work at Airbnb from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Elias Bruegmann
LinkedInExperience: Director, Guest and Host Data Science · Airbnb
Elias Bruegmann has been Director, Guest and Host Data Science at Airbnb since August 2025. Elias Bruegmann was Head of Product Data Science at Stripe from 2023 to 2025 and Head of Software, Banking, and Ecosystem Data Science at Stripe from 2022 to 2023.
Gaurav Agarwal
LinkedInExperience: Head of Engineering AI/ML And Bots · Airbnb
Gaurav Agarwal has been Head of Engineering AI/ML And Bots at Airbnb since January 2024, and the profile headline names AI infrastructure and platforms and GenAI and ML. Gaurav Agarwal was Senior Engineering Manager at Airbnb from 2023 to 2024 and Engineering Leader at Waymo from 2019 to 2023.
Harsha Binnamangalam
LinkedInExperience: Director - AI Experiences and Platforms · Airbnb
Harsha Binnamangalam has been Director - AI Experiences and Platforms at Airbnb since July 2025. Harsha Binnamangalam was Director of Product - AI Commerce at Walmart from 2023 to 2025 and Director of Product - Walmart+ Membership at Walmart Global Tech from 2020 to 2023.
Kapil Gupta
LinkedInExperience: Head of Data Science, Trust · Airbnb
Kapil Gupta has held Head of Data Science, Trust at Airbnb since November 2019, a role the listing shows as current, and was Data Science Lead/Manager at Airbnb from 2014 to 2015. Kapil Gupta has also been a Guest Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business since February 2014.
Lalit Balla
LinkedInExperience: Director @ Airbnb | Advanced Analytics • AI • Experimentation • Product Analytics · Airbnb
Lalit Balla has been Director @ Airbnb | Advanced Analytics • AI • Experimentation • Product Analytics at Airbnb since November 2022, based in Bengaluru, and the role line names global CS AI, payments, fraud and safety analytics and an 80+ org. Lalit Balla was Senior Manager, Data Science at Apple from 2016 to 2022.
Peggy Shao
LinkedInExperience: Head of AirCover Data Science · Airbnb
Peggy Shao has been Head of AirCover Data Science at Airbnb since June 2024. Peggy Shao was Data Science Manager, Machine Learning and Causal Inference at Airbnb from 2022 to 2024 and Tech Lead, Safety Detection, NLP & Core Machine Learning there from 2021 to 2022.
Prashant Mehta
LinkedInExperience: Director, Data Science · Airbnb
Prashant Mehta has been Director, Data Science at Airbnb since May 2024, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prashant Mehta was Founder and CEO of SYUS.AI from 2022 to 2024, Head of Analytics and Data Science at Apple from 2015 to 2022 and Engagement Manager at Mu Sigma Inc. from 2010 to 2015.
S. Moyerman
LinkedInExperience: Director ML/AI, Relevance and Personalization · Airbnb
S. Moyerman has been Director ML/AI, Relevance and Personalization at Airbnb since May 2025, and was Director Machine Learning and AI, Trust and Safety at Airbnb from 2023 to 2025. S. Moyerman was Director of Data Science, Wellness at Instagram from 2022 to 2023 and Senior Director of Risk and Trust Science at eBay from 2021 to 2022.
Sanjeev Katariya
LinkedInExperience: Head of AI Platform Architecure · Airbnb
Sanjeev Katariya has been Head of AI Platform Architecure at Airbnb since June 2026, and held Head of Relevance and Personalization at Airbnb from 2022 to 2026. The profile describes executive experience leading large, complex teams, and lists an Executive Advisory Board Member seat at GVSU College of Computing in 2024.
Yashar Mehdad
LinkedInExperience: Technical Director - Principal AI Architect, Generative AI and LLMs · Airbnb
Yashar Mehdad has been Technical Director - Principal AI Architect, Generative AI and LLMs at Airbnb since January 2024. Yashar Mehdad was Engineering Leader @ Meta - Gen AI & LLMs at Meta from 2019 to 2024 and held Senior Engineering and Data Science Manager (AI & Machine Learning) at Airbnb from 2017 to 2019.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's area, such as AI platforms, machine learning for relevance and personalization, trust data science or AI products, to the decision you face. Check when each person's current role started to judge how recent their view of the work is.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How do you decide which problems get a machine learning solution and which stay with simpler analysis?
- 02What has worked for you in organizing data scientists and machine learning engineers alongside product teams?
- 03How do you show that an AI or data science investment changed a business result?
Reaching Airbnb AI and data science leaders
How can I contact one of these Airbnb AI and data science leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Airbnb, based on profile data retrieved on October 26, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Airbnb AI and data science leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Airbnb AI and data science leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.