Thrilling Tales of Modern Capitalism

Overnight Billionaires: Airbnb

Airbnb was a pioneer of the sharing economy. But when times became tough, what was the startup willing to share with its hosts?

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Episode Notes

Airbnb transformed the experience of travel by turning ordinary neighborhoods into tourist destinations, and ordinary people into backdoor innkeepers. These people’s small businesses are the backbone of Airbnb’s big one. But facing a pandemic and a potential PR disaster, would the company prioritize its guests or its hosts?

Podcast production by Heba Elorbany and Jess Miller, with help from Madeline Ducharme and Asha Saluja.

About the Show

Navigating the marketplace is the original choose-your-own adventure. Thrilling Tales of Modern Capitalism takes a company in the news, and looks at its history to figure out why it finds itself in its present circumstances. Host Seth Stevenson brings you stories you may not have heard about the brands that shape how you live and work. And whether they’ve succeeded or failed, these companies have been on more of an adventure than you may have imagined. All episodes