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Giving credit where credit is due, I think Mr. Chesky and Airbnb have done a good job here. Corporations aren't intrinsically ethical (by law) but start-ups are

by lyudmil 15y ago

Giving credit where credit is due, I think Mr. Chesky and Airbnb have done a good job here. Corporations aren't intrinsically ethical (by law) but start-ups are small enough that they can (a) afford to act human and (b) be held accountable by their customers in meaningful ways. This is why people like Airbnb and why they (myself included) were disappointed in the way the situation was handled. I loved reading Mr. Chesky's response and although this clearly changes things for Airbnb as a business, they are now a company I care to see succeed.

danvideo 15y ago
Second that. Words are empty, but this sounds like real action... insurance (especially retroactive) + 24 help + more overall support service - all that hits the nail on the head of the problem. This was the response people (or at least ME) were waiting for. Good luck Airbnb.
fleitz 15y ago
Corporations must follow the ethical standard set by the law just as any other legal entity. Corporations actually have more stringent ethics than other legal entities such as persons. A person does not have any fiduciary duty to others unlike a corporation which is incorporated with a set of documents explaining it ethics and responsibilities to other parties (such as shareholders). As a person under the law I can act completely in my own best interest (negligence, power of attorney, and other corner cases excluded) and there is no ethical problem whereas when a corporation puts it's own interests ahead of those of its shareholders it is acting unethically.
- lyudmil 15y ago
  I'm not sure we agree on the definition of "ethics". Ethics, the way I understand the term, isn't a set of rules enforced by law. It's true that some laws are informed by our shared moral values, but in general law and ethics are independent. There is no legal punishment for acting like an asshole, but in human society you more often than not pay a price for it. There is no such onus on corporations and in fact the "business ethics" we govern our corporations by can easily be put at odds with what you and I would consider ethical behavior (see Ford Pinto [1]). As you point out, companies are responsible to their shareholders, but their stakeholders are a different (perhaps partially overlapping) set of people to which the corporation doesn't have to answer. It is in that sense that I said companies aren't intrinsically moral. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto#Allegations_and_lawsuits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto#Allegations_and_laws...

by lyudmil 15y ago

danvideo 15y ago

Second that. Words are empty, but this sounds like real action... insurance (especially retroactive) + 24 help + more overall support service - all that hits the nail on the head of the problem. This was the response people (or at least ME) were waiting for. Good luck Airbnb.

fleitz 15y ago

Corporations must follow the ethical standard set by the law just as any other legal entity. Corporations actually have more stringent ethics than other legal entities such as persons. A person does not have any fiduciary duty to others unlike a corporation which is incorporated with a set of documents explaining it ethics and responsibilities to other parties (such as shareholders). As a person under the law I can act completely in my own best interest (negligence, power of attorney, and other corner cases excluded) and there is no ethical problem whereas when a corporation puts it's own interests ahead of those of its shareholders it is acting unethically.

lyudmil 15y ago
I'm not sure we agree on the definition of "ethics". Ethics, the way I understand the term, isn't a set of rules enforced by law. It's true that some laws are informed by our shared moral values, but in general law and ethics are independent. There is no legal punishment for acting like an asshole, but in human society you more often than not pay a price for it. There is no such onus on corporations and in fact the "business ethics" we govern our corporations by can easily be put at odds with what you and I would consider ethical behavior (see Ford Pinto [1]). As you point out, companies are responsible to their shareholders, but their stakeholders are a different (perhaps partially overlapping) set of people to which the corporation doesn't have to answer. It is in that sense that I said companies aren't intrinsically moral. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto#Allegations_and_lawsuits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto#Allegations_and_laws...