Did Airbnb kill the PM role? • Hacker News Board

Re: Did Airbnb kill the PM role?

#21

Post by report-to-trees » Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:47 PM UTC

The best products and features I've ever worked on were run by engineering and design working very closely together, while the PM role was pretty much exclusively stakeholder / client communication.

It's a shame how large organizations always form a layer of "product owners" who fight amongst each other for ownership and control.

Re: Did Airbnb kill the PM role?

#22

Post by yawnxyz » Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:47 PM UTC

the_mar wrote: post #6

To be fair good product designers do like 85% of PM's job. Design is not what it looks like, it's how it works.

At Microsoft many years ago, they used to put a lot of product design work on PMs (who didn't have the training or time / bandwidth to do that well). I think this was the Ballmer era...

Re: Did Airbnb kill the PM role?

#23

Post by goostavos » Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:49 PM UTC

CSMastermind wrote: post #9

jamiegreen wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it is nice to have a kitchen if it’s more than a few days. But the chores are a bit much sometimes

I highly recommend Hilton's Airbnb competitor Home2.

I really dislike AirBnB, but I don't think they've got anything to worry about with Hotel2. Even calling them a competitor seems like a massive stretch. Just poking around their site to see what's available in my area: $240/night gets you what is, well... a hotel room. Except that it has a couch and a microwave in it. Calling such a thing a "suite" makes me feel like Hilton is gaslighting me.

Re: Did Airbnb kill the PM role?

#24

Post by bamfly » Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:50 PM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #11

manishsharan wrote: post #3

Why is AirBnb still a thing ? Do people like doing chores while on a vacation ?

I just stayed at two AirBnBs. I'm not sure what "doing chores" means. Sure I had to tidy up a bit when I left, but I would do that regardless because I'm a decent human being. Even when I stay at a hotel I wipe down the sink and strip the bed before I leave. In the meantime I had a condo next to the beach with a kitchen and beach toys in both locations for less than the hotel next door cost (which would not have a ki…

"I don't understand why anyone ever uses AirBnB" is definitely a "tell me you don't have kids without telling me you don't have kids" kind of thing.

Re: Did Airbnb kill the PM role?

#25

Post by brigadier132 » Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:50 PM UTC

talideon wrote: post #4

They did kill a whole bunch of things... like the ability to rent at a reasonable rate and the ability to get a mortgage that doesn't lean heavily on the 'mort' part.

Everyone loves a boogieman. The reason rents are high are not because of short term rentals. They are high because of inflation and globalization.

Re: Did Airbnb kill the PM role?

#26

Post by anamexis » Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:51 PM UTC

_just7_ wrote: post #12

talideon wrote: post #4

They did kill a whole bunch of things... like the ability to rent at a reasonable rate and the ability to get a mortgage that doesn't lean heavily on the 'mort' part.

Yeah I don't really think a meaningfully larger amount people are traveling because Airbnb is an app that exist, so demand from tourism should stay flat, no?

That doesn't follow. Even if tourism stays flat, demand can shift from hotels to Airbnbs.

Re: Did Airbnb kill the PM role?

#27

Post by DragonStrength » Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:51 PM UTC

Sounds like Apple, right? You focus on product marketing, keep the decision-making close knit, and say "no" a lot. You can go a long time as an engineer there without ever talking to a product person.

Re: Did Airbnb kill the PM role?

#28

Post by alfalfasprout » Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:52 PM UTC

manishsharan wrote: post #3

Why is AirBnb still a thing ? Do people like doing chores while on a vacation ?

Having traveled for years on Airbnb it's extremely rare I actually have to do any sort of "chores". At most throw some dishes in the dishwasher or strip the bed (but even then that's not the norm).

Re: Did Airbnb kill the PM role?

#29

Post by onlyrealcuzzo » Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:52 PM UTC

chongli wrote: post #15

manishsharan wrote: post #3

Why is AirBnb still a thing ? Do people like doing chores while on a vacation ?

Airbnb is a thing because landlords pulled their long term rental units off the market and converted them into short terms at X times the old rate. Landlords love it because they make way more profit. Business travellers love it because they can stay in a nice trendy house or apartment instead of a hotel and they expense the trip anyway. The people who don’t love it are the neighbours and anyone in the market for lon…

And anyone in the market for a vacation that doesn't want to gamble on a terrible host.

Hotels might not be great, but they're way less of a gamble.

It only takes a vacation being completely ruined once or twice before you swear of AirBNB completely.

Re: Did Airbnb kill the PM role?

#30

Post by ecshafer » Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:52 PM UTC

padjo wrote: post #19

manishsharan wrote: post #3

Why is AirBnb still a thing ? Do people like doing chores while on a vacation ?

Personally I find social interactions with hotel employees far more exhausting than straightening up a bit.

I love hotels. I am not sure why Airbnb ever took off, other than price for large groups. Hotels you show up, you know you have a room because you booked with Hilton or whatever. They clean up the room after you leave for the day. They bring you stuff, carry luggage it’s great.