Peter Coles, Airbnb's Head Economist for Policy and Director of Data Science, journeyed from a public school education in Milwaukee to a PhD in economics from Stanford. His early fascination with marketplaces began with a childhood rock stand venture. Competing avidly in academic contests, he later majored in math at Princeton before pursuing economics. His graduate studies at Stanford were influenced by Nobel laureate Jon Levin, emphasizing simplification in research. Before Airbnb, Coles taught at Harvard Business School, co-teaching with market design pioneer Al Roth. There, he researched matching mechanisms and wrote case studies on companies like Zillow and Craigslist. Transitioning to the tech industry, he joined eBay, focusing on market design and data science initiatives. At Airbnb, he established an economics team to analyze short-term rentals and their impact on cities. He also co-founded Central Strategy & Insights (CSI) to address broader organizational questions and conduct forensic-style investigations. Currently, he leads efforts to model policy considerations and evaluate Airbnb's societal impact, fostering collaborations with academic researchers.