Earlier quoted context omitted.
Airbnb is highlighting a zoning problem that governments are unwilling to admit to themselves. Sublets and short term rentals existed long before before and most cities on Earth didn't care, but once a frictionless platform came along it suddenly was a problem. My landlord kicked us out to run an airbnb fulltime after seeing how much a neighbour was earning. (Around New Years /Christmas you could easily bring in 2 mo…
AirBnB isn't highlighting a zoning problem; rather, it enables ordinary people to engage in frictionless regulation-skirting commerce. Incidentally, Uber does the same thing. The problem with this is that it makes masses of lawbreakers out of normal people. When suddenly lots of people are breaking the law, and they're not easily treated as an outgroup, the incentives about enforcing the law get complicated.
For instance, renting a room inside your home to visitors, while you continue to occupy the home, is perfectly legal almost everywhere. Often, there is little or no regulation to comply with. (For example, actual BnBs.)
But many, many, many of AirBnB's rentals are illegal flophouses. Entire-apartment rentals inside established buildings, or flophouses with 2-4-6-8 bedrooms rented to unrelated strangers, with a maintenance service that comes by to turn down the beds. Those are where the money are at.