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Ashton Kutcher Joins the Airbnb Team

blog.airbnb.com

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Re: Ashton Kutcher Joins the Airbnb Team

#51

Post by joss82 »

ignifero wrote: post #49
numair wrote: post #32

Some of the comments here on HN about this are quite amusing, especially since many of the people who poo-poo Ashton's involvement in tech have no issues with a normal VC investment in a company. How is Ashton any more annoying than the concept of some random dude thinking he knows whether or not your idea will fly, simply because he was entrusted with tens (if not hundreds, or even thousands!) of millions dollars' w…

I think it's because he has no expertise on technology, can give you zero advice, will actually probably give you the wrong advice, cannot help you with your scaling or implementation issues, cannot refer you to the right technical people when you need it. The one thing that silicon valley has that none of us in the rest of the world have is a vibrant network of like minded, able and willing to help people. It's perf…

Airbnb does not need technical advice right now.

What they want is cheap publicity, and it's exactly what they're getting with the actor.

Re: Ashton Kutcher Joins the Airbnb Team

#53

Post by ericd »

ignifero wrote: post #49
numair wrote: post #32

Some of the comments here on HN about this are quite amusing, especially since many of the people who poo-poo Ashton's involvement in tech have no issues with a normal VC investment in a company. How is Ashton any more annoying than the concept of some random dude thinking he knows whether or not your idea will fly, simply because he was entrusted with tens (if not hundreds, or even thousands!) of millions dollars' w…

I think it's because he has no expertise on technology, can give you zero advice, will actually probably give you the wrong advice, cannot help you with your scaling or implementation issues, cannot refer you to the right technical people when you need it. The one thing that silicon valley has that none of us in the rest of the world have is a vibrant network of like minded, able and willing to help people. It's perf…

It's a serious and common mistake to think that the majority of the challenges faced by a startup are technical, especially in a consumer facing startup. More than half the battle is getting people to know about your product, and AK knows marketing and promotion well.

Re: Ashton Kutcher Joins the Airbnb Team

#54

Post by jmathai »

numair wrote: post #32

Some of the comments here on HN about this are quite amusing, especially since many of the people who poo-poo Ashton's involvement in tech have no issues with a normal VC investment in a company. How is Ashton any more annoying than the concept of some random dude thinking he knows whether or not your idea will fly, simply because he was entrusted with tens (if not hundreds, or even thousands!) of millions dollars' w…

Maybe the blog post just read disingenuously. "New media expert", really?

I've got lots of respect for the AirBnB team. They've done a great job building their business and if this helps then good for them.

Re: Ashton Kutcher Joins the Airbnb Team

#55

Post by eddylu »

ignifero wrote: post #49
numair wrote: post #32

Some of the comments here on HN about this are quite amusing, especially since many of the people who poo-poo Ashton's involvement in tech have no issues with a normal VC investment in a company. How is Ashton any more annoying than the concept of some random dude thinking he knows whether or not your idea will fly, simply because he was entrusted with tens (if not hundreds, or even thousands!) of millions dollars' w…

I think it's because he has no expertise on technology, can give you zero advice, will actually probably give you the wrong advice, cannot help you with your scaling or implementation issues, cannot refer you to the right technical people when you need it. The one thing that silicon valley has that none of us in the rest of the world have is a vibrant network of like minded, able and willing to help people. It's perf…

Ashton has been a very helpful angel for us and he uses so many tech products that he actually gives great advice.

Him not being part of the valley is a plus! Every VC knows the same exact execs at Facebook, Twitter, Groupon, etc, so you get little benefit from having multiple Sand Hill Road VCs on your team. Ashton can connect you to a whole different world of people and influencers who could really help your company.

I want more Ashtons.

Re: Ashton Kutcher Joins the Airbnb Team

#56

Post by adw »

ericd wrote: post #53
ignifero wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's because he has no expertise on technology, can give you zero advice, will actually probably give you the wrong advice, cannot help you with your scaling or implementation issues, cannot refer you to the right technical people when you need it. The one thing that silicon valley has that none of us in the rest of the world have is a vibrant network of like minded, able and willing to help people. It's perf…

It's a serious and common mistake to think that the majority of the challenges faced by a startup are technical, especially in a consumer facing startup. More than half the battle is getting people to know about your product, and AK knows marketing and promotion well.

This, this, this. Ashton Kutcher is, in all likelihood, a much better representative of one of the demographics Airbnb would like to access (wealthy hipsters) than any VC would be. The whole game is understanding your audience.

He's a professional entertainer and producer - someone very skilled at connecting with the customers Airbnb want, half of whom probably grew up watching Punk'd - with ungodly reach on Twitter.

That's rarer, and harder to buy, than deep technical skill. That you can buy with cash and equity.

Re: Ashton Kutcher Joins the Airbnb Team

#57

Post by klbarry »

numair wrote: post #32

Some of the comments here on HN about this are quite amusing, especially since many of the people who poo-poo Ashton's involvement in tech have no issues with a normal VC investment in a company. How is Ashton any more annoying than the concept of some random dude thinking he knows whether or not your idea will fly, simply because he was entrusted with tens (if not hundreds, or even thousands!) of millions dollars' w…

Your post is spot-on, especially on the comments here being amusing! This is so obviously a huge win that could change the game for AirBNB. Any kind of popular service can be made or broken by a cool, famous person using it or not using it. The most popular draw on Twitter is celebrities!

Re: Ashton Kutcher Joins the Airbnb Team

#59

Post by adamtait »

jmathai wrote: post #54
numair wrote: post #32

Some of the comments here on HN about this are quite amusing, especially since many of the people who poo-poo Ashton's involvement in tech have no issues with a normal VC investment in a company. How is Ashton any more annoying than the concept of some random dude thinking he knows whether or not your idea will fly, simply because he was entrusted with tens (if not hundreds, or even thousands!) of millions dollars' w…

Maybe the blog post just read disingenuously. "New media expert", really? I've got lots of respect for the AirBnB team. They've done a great job building their business and if this helps then good for them.

'New media expert' is a pretty lame title, but he definitely has something to add. He is an internationally recognized celebrity, and Airbnb is a company crossing the chasm and trying to pull in the laggards. Convincing people to use Airbnb is going to take more than ranking high in Google and having the proper precautions in place. Ashton brings insight to the rest of the world. If anything, I'd say he's an 'old media expert'. Or, maybe a branding and publicity expert.
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