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On Safety: A Word From Airbnb

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Re: On Safety: A Word From Airbnb

#41
post #38

I can't stop thinking that this was a top-secret hit job by some shady character working for the hotel industry looking to derail AirBnB's next fund-raising round. Heck, if Nixon could do it, why couldn't The American Hotel & Lodging Association? So my question to you is: am I quite paranoid or merely rather paranoid?

Past that - maybe sys admin paranoid.

Re: On Safety: A Word From Airbnb

#42
post #38

I can't stop thinking that this was a top-secret hit job by some shady character working for the hotel industry looking to derail AirBnB's next fund-raising round. Heck, if Nixon could do it, why couldn't The American Hotel & Lodging Association? So my question to you is: am I quite paranoid or merely rather paranoid?

I don't think you are even paranoid by thinking about this. It's certainly possible.

Not only to derail fund-raising, it's also a direct PR hit which can cause slowdowns in expansion and feature development.

Re: On Safety: A Word From Airbnb

#43
post #38

I can't stop thinking that this was a top-secret hit job by some shady character working for the hotel industry looking to derail AirBnB's next fund-raising round. Heck, if Nixon could do it, why couldn't The American Hotel & Lodging Association? So my question to you is: am I quite paranoid or merely rather paranoid?

It does sound just too ridiculous. I mean it's one thing to find the safe and steal credit cards, but I find it more than a little odd that he burned a spare set of sheets in the fireplace.

Re: On Safety: A Word From Airbnb

#44
post #38

I can't stop thinking that this was a top-secret hit job by some shady character working for the hotel industry looking to derail AirBnB's next fund-raising round. Heck, if Nixon could do it, why couldn't The American Hotel & Lodging Association? So my question to you is: am I quite paranoid or merely rather paranoid?

I think if the broader public knew about this it could damage AirBNB but at this point I'm guessing 90% of AirBNB customer base doesn't follow TC or HN and therefore will not be aware of the substantiated risk to their possessions.

Maybe after the 10th or 11th serious robbery/rape/murder then This American Life will make an interesting show about it.

Re: On Safety: A Word From Airbnb

#45
post #19

I want to believe that people are fundamentally good as well and there is definitely evidence that supports that. But this incident has left a bad taste in my mouth, and their response hasn't made me feel any better. It's not like Ebay where if you have a bad experience, your loss is stemmed to the material good you have given away. On AirBnb, the potential harm in the worst case for both a guest and a host are massi…

It's not like Ebay where if you have a bad experience, your loss is stemmed to the material good you have given away If you're going to play the rape-or-death card, then why not also say that an EBay package you receive could contain a bomb or anthrax spores? Personally speaking, AirBnB always baffled me, even before this incident. I would never have given my home for others to use and would find it weird to use that…

True, but with Ebay, space separates me and the other party, so I still have (or feel like I have) some level of control. Could I still fall victim to random acts of hatred? Sure.

Call it a bad taste or a pit in the stomach, but the incident only reinforced my worst fears about the service. It's something that will be difficult to forget.

Re: On Safety: A Word From Airbnb

#46
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How ironic given that they built the business on spamming craigslist and circumventing users' requests to not be solicited.

They did not build the business this way. That was something done years ago by a single contractor without their knowledge, and it had an insignificant effect on their growth. Edit: Actually it sounds like it was several contractors ( http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/06/07/1-billion-1-br-amazin... )

Personally, I give Airbnb the benefit of the doubt. No question. I think very highly of the company and the founders.

However, when I read your comment, it bothered me (specifically the bit about the rogue contractor). It gave me the exact same feeling as seeing Rupert Murdoch on the stand saying something to the effect of - "No, I do not take responsibility for my companies wrong-doings, it was a rogue employee.."

The only time I've really learned from a mistake as an entrepreneur is when I've had to look at myself and take 100% responsibility. 100%.

Who hired that employee or contractor? Who hired the people who hired the contractor? Why were they hired? Who put the hiring processes in place? Why did your systems not weed this behavior out as soon as it started? In every organization, there is only one answer to that question - the leader.

An entrepreneur must be ultimately accountable while they are being relentlessly resourceful. I feel it is so important to communicate this message to our current and future leaders - both for the sake of their ability to grow, and for the sake of the lives of those they touch.

Re: On Safety: A Word From Airbnb

#47
post #38

I can't stop thinking that this was a top-secret hit job by some shady character working for the hotel industry looking to derail AirBnB's next fund-raising round. Heck, if Nixon could do it, why couldn't The American Hotel & Lodging Association? So my question to you is: am I quite paranoid or merely rather paranoid?

From the victim's post:

"...came into my home earlier this month (apparently with several others, according to witnesses)..."

So there were several of them. If this were a hotel industry conspiracy, I think it would be very difficult to pull off this way. All you need is for one renter to do this. Adding people to the conspiracy puts your conspiracy at risk of being found out.

However, it's not too hard to imagine a random group of renters doing stupid stuff like this. Think about some immature people who weren't raised well and who are also drunk, on drugs, and/or slightly mentally ill.

tl;dr It stretches the imagination less to chalk this up to a group of thugs than to a conspiracy.

Re: On Safety: A Word From Airbnb

#49
post #38

I can't stop thinking that this was a top-secret hit job by some shady character working for the hotel industry looking to derail AirBnB's next fund-raising round. Heck, if Nixon could do it, why couldn't The American Hotel & Lodging Association? So my question to you is: am I quite paranoid or merely rather paranoid?

I think the answer is "quite paranoid" -- here are a couple possibilities I think are more likely than yours:

- Early adopters were less likely to vandalize apartments, so as AirBnB becomes more mainstream we will see an increase in vandals.

- Criminals are starting to realize that AirBnB lets them get around mandatory hotel registrations / ID checks

- AirBnB hosts, having had many good experiences, have become more lax than they previously were in their screening/supervision of guests.

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