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You've provided a well-thought-out, evidence-based response, but it seems people are disagreeing with the content. I too agree that there are businesses out th

You've provided a well-thought-out, evidence-based response, but it seems people are disagreeing with the content. I too agree that there are businesses out there that offload costs onto society. Some people use these services responsibly, enjoy a cost-savings, and will usually ardently defend the merits of the company that provides it. Some number of other people do not use the service responsibly, and through their behavior, can cause serious harm, annoyance, and time/financial costs to random members of society. Where Airbnb differs from casinos, breweries, tobacco companies, oxycotton manufacturers, payday loan brokers, fireworks manufacturers, bomb manufacturers... is that Airbnb is a tech company, I guess.

TeMPOraL 9y ago
> Where Airbnb differs (...) is that Airbnb is a tech company, I guess. I disagree. IMO it's different simply because it's new and growing extremely large. All your other examples are old-school things that expand slowly, locally, and that we have plenty of experience in handling. They're also all regulated, and actually follow those regulations. I think "societal strip-mining" is a very apt description of Uber and AirBnB.
- quuquuquu 9y ago
  I am inclined to agree! I think their technology has given them the ability to coordinate laborers with buyers like never before. It isn't centralized like a casino or brothel, because the workers are geographically dispersed and don't have to show up to a physical building/boss for instructions. It is more effective than craigslist or a newspaper, because their technology has evolved and is trusted enough to deliver quality service in real-time. There is a big war on how to regulate/clamp down on this (depends on your view), but it is likely their technology that made the difference compared to other business models. this doesn't give them a free pass, it just explains why/how it happened maybe ^.^

TeMPOraL 9y ago

> Where Airbnb differs (...) is that Airbnb is a tech company, I guess. I disagree. IMO it's different simply because it's new and growing extremely large. All your other examples are old-school things that expand slowly, locally, and that we have plenty of experience in handling. They're also all regulated, and actually follow those regulations. I think "societal strip-mining" is a very apt description of Uber and AirBnB.

quuquuquu 9y ago
I am inclined to agree! I think their technology has given them the ability to coordinate laborers with buyers like never before. It isn't centralized like a casino or brothel, because the workers are geographically dispersed and don't have to show up to a physical building/boss for instructions. It is more effective than craigslist or a newspaper, because their technology has evolved and is trusted enough to deliver quality service in real-time. There is a big war on how to regulate/clamp down on this (depends on your view), but it is likely their technology that made the difference compared to other business models. this doesn't give them a free pass, it just explains why/how it happened maybe ^.^