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The problem is very simple: AirBnb has outsourced the job of management to the customer. Of course this is to cut costs and save money. The gig economy depends

The problem is very simple: AirBnb has outsourced the job of management to the customer. Of course this is to cut costs and save money. The gig economy depends on customers doing this extra work, and maybe in the beginning it made some sense. Airbnb wasn’t pitched as a hotel replacement, it was supposed to be a no-frills way to match up homeowners who were gone for a weekend with backpackers who were there for a weekend. Uber wasn’t pitched as a taxi replacement, it was supposed to be a hip new way to car pool. Well, things have changed. Some apartments are now permanently for rent. Uber drivers typically drive regularly and depend on Uber for income. Airbnb and Uber are billion dollar companies listed on NYSE. I don’t feel the same way about doing favors like cleaning up an Airbnb now as I would’ve a few years ago, when it felt like the host was doing a favor for me. And I certainly don’t feel like doing a favor for these huge middleman platforms which traditionally would’ve needed to have some internal rating system but now don’t even have to do that.

vineyardmike 4y ago
> Uber wasn’t pitched as a taxi replacement, it was supposed to be a hip new way to car pool. This actually isn't true. It was advertised as being as such, because directly saying your business model is to cut out taxi regulation is problematic. Uber planned to be a phone-based taxi service, and originally planned to use professional drivers. It likely realized skirting labor laws through contractors was more scalable. AirBnB was actually pitched as a way for individuals to make extra cash, however. I agree with you now about the "Favors" and view on workers. Now that AirBnb hosting is a full-time status for people/apartments, I feel like people should be professional. If you're a professional investor with houses on AirBnB (aka its not your spare room), then you should be cleaning your own damn units (or charging commensurate rates). >I certainly don’t feel like doing a favor for these huge middleman platforms which traditionally would’ve needed to have some internal rating system but now don’t even have to do that. I expect we're a few years away from getting a "credit bureau" type regulation regarding these systems. I've seen people advocate for them as punishing people who treat service workers poorly, but I think it's too easy to enable discrimination or improper behavior. https://www.vox.com/2017/8/23/16189048/uber-pitch-deck-2008-ubercab-travis-kalanick-founder-startup https://www.vox.com/2017/8/23/16189048/uber-pitch-deck-2008-... https://www.slideshare.net/PitchDeckCoach/airbnb-first-pitch-deck-editable https://www.slideshare.net/PitchDeckCoach/airbnb-first-pitch...

vineyardmike 4y ago

> Uber wasn’t pitched as a taxi replacement, it was supposed to be a hip new way to car pool. This actually isn't true. It was advertised as being as such, because directly saying your business model is to cut out taxi regulation is problematic. Uber planned to be a phone-based taxi service, and originally planned to use professional drivers. It likely realized skirting labor laws through contractors was more scalable. AirBnB was actually pitched as a way for individuals to make extra cash, however. I agree with you now about the "Favors" and view on workers. Now that AirBnb hosting is a full-time status for people/apartments, I feel like people should be professional. If you're a professional investor with houses on AirBnB (aka its not your spare room), then you should be cleaning your own damn units (or charging commensurate rates). >I certainly don’t feel like doing a favor for these huge middleman platforms which traditionally would’ve needed to have some internal rating system but now don’t even have to do that. I expect we're a few years away from getting a "credit bureau" type regulation regarding these systems. I've seen people advocate for them as punishing people who treat service workers poorly, but I think it's too easy to enable discrimination or improper behavior. https://www.vox.com/2017/8/23/16189048/uber-pitch-deck-2008-ubercab-travis-kalanick-founder-startup https://www.vox.com/2017/8/23/16189048/uber-pitch-deck-2008-... https://www.slideshare.net/PitchDeckCoach/airbnb-first-pitch-deck-editable https://www.slideshare.net/PitchDeckCoach/airbnb-first-pitch...