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How AirBnB Became a Billion Dollar Company

davegooden.com

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Re: How AirBnB Became a Billion Dollar Company

#61

Post by fs111 »

buildorfail wrote: post #40

I do not want to argue if this type of stuff is good or bad. But I do want to point out to you all that list of tech gods is full of similar stories. Off the top of my head: MySpace started out purely through spam...Tim Ferris started out in online supplement sales...People complained about Plaxo doing black hat stuff... they sold ok. People complained about Zynga ripping off other games and about breaking every Face…

So and your point is now, that it's okay to be unethical like the people you mentioned, just to get rich?

Re: How AirBnB Became a Billion Dollar Company

#63

Post by jgmmo »

ChuckFrank wrote: post #27
aresant wrote: post #5

"It is a story of pure unadulterated hustle. And I love it." - Fred Wilson talking about the AirBNB team's Obama cereal hustle. I'd like to borrow his words in regard to this post. Fred's original post - http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2011/03/airbnb.html

'unadulterated hustle' and 'unscrupulous behavior' are surely not synonymous.

It's true. It's the difference between 'hustle' and 'hustler'. I think most confuse 'hustling' in the sports sense, with 'being a hustler' in the black-market sales sense.

I think Fred Wilson's quote is referencing entrepreneurs who 'hustle' and try very hard/use alot of energy in the sports analogy --- and NOT entrepreneurs who are 'hustlers' and use shady means to fulfill their needs.

Re: How AirBnB Became a Billion Dollar Company

#65

Post by dools »

hnsmurf wrote: post #64

"It is a literal gold mine for black hats that learn how to exploit its millions of users and curtail its terms of service." Either he doesn't know what "literal" means or I need to get a pickaxe and head on over to Craigslist.

Modern English speakers really need to sort out their usage of 2 words: literally and physically.

I think we need a movement against improper use of these such as "do I have to physically login and chage the details" rather than manually, and this "literal gold mine" which is clearly metaphorical.

What can we call it? How can we stem the tides before the dystopian precitions of Idiocracy become a reality?!?

Re: How AirBnB Became a Billion Dollar Company

#66

Post by keiferski »

buildorfail wrote: post #40

I do not want to argue if this type of stuff is good or bad. But I do want to point out to you all that list of tech gods is full of similar stories. Off the top of my head: MySpace started out purely through spam...Tim Ferris started out in online supplement sales...People complained about Plaxo doing black hat stuff... they sold ok. People complained about Zynga ripping off other games and about breaking every Face…

"Everyone's doing it" isn't a valid excuse.

Re: How AirBnB Became a Billion Dollar Company

#67

Post by palish »

orenmazor wrote: post #36
windsurfer wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is unethical.

though successful.

Though unethical. If growing a billion dollar company means setting aside what makes me a good person, then I wouldn't want a billion dollar company.

Nor would I want to work there.

Re: How AirBnB Became a Billion Dollar Company

#68

Post by hartror »

hnsmurf wrote: post #64

"It is a literal gold mine for black hats that learn how to exploit its millions of users and curtail its terms of service." Either he doesn't know what "literal" means or I need to get a pickaxe and head on over to Craigslist.

You missed the "obligatory" xkcd. http://xkcd.com/725/

Re: How AirBnB Became a Billion Dollar Company

#69

Post by thomasgerbe »

nhangen wrote: post #50

This is the same thing spammers do to steal money from people, and it's the same thing that dating sites do to pretend to have women interested in meeting dudes. Either way, it's fraudulent. I don't hate that they did this, but I hate that they tried to pretend they were anonymous women that happened to really like AirBnB. Why be so shady about it and instead why not just be honest? "Hey, we noticed your rental and t…

I assume they couldn't be honest because it would've violated Craiglist's Terms of Use, namely:

You agree not to post, email, or otherwise make available Content:

k) that constitutes or contains "affiliate marketing," "link referral code," "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or unsolicited commercial advertisement;

l) that constitutes or contains any form of advertising or solicitation if: posted in areas of the craigslist sites which are not designated for such purposes; or emailed to craigslist users who have not indicated in writing that it is ok to contact them about other services, products or commercial interests.

m) that includes links to commercial services or web sites, except as allowed in "services";

I wonder if Craigslist could legitimately sue Airbnb.

Re: How AirBnB Became a Billion Dollar Company

#70

Post by ThomCarver »

c2 wrote: post #46
Mizza wrote: post #26

Is anybody else slightly disturbed by all of the 'attaboy!' comments here on a post exposing unscrupulous and probably illegal business tactics? Think the response here would be the same if it was MicroSoft or the RIAA caught in something like this and not a YC alum? Anyway, great investigation and great analysis here, I think.

I agree the 'attaboy' comments are way out of place, but there is also an over the top reaction the other way with the criticism being heaped onto the AirBNB guys in my opinion. It was technically wrong of them to leverage craigslist by circumventing the community's own "no commercial email" request, and they should get dinged for it. But in the grand scheme of things, when you are a tiny start up struggling to survi…

Can we all agree that a $1Bn valuation stops you being "a tiny start up struggling to survive"?
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