This final note on the way out today, in which Airbnb pretty much has a public relations fail.
The company’s fighting back against a ballot proposition in San Francisco that would restrict the kind of short-term rentals its very business model is based on.
So on Wednesday, they put up a whole bunch of ads pointing out that the company generates $12 million in tax receipts for the city, saying things like:
Dear Airbnb: if it’s worth $8m to you to beat Prop F, please contribute as much to help build SF affordable housing. pic.twitter.com/hEoWDVQ0er
— Martha Bridegam (@MBridegam) October 21, 2015
And there was also one aimed at the public library system:
(Image via Martha Kenney/Facebook)
San Francisco resident Martha Kenney, who “crunched some numbers,” found Airbnb’s advice unfeasible.
Social media reaction, as you can see, was swift, and, as social media reaction tends to be, it was harsh.
The company has apologized and said it’s going to take the ads down.
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