AirBnB got 99 problems but going public ain’t one

AirBnB is the enormously popular company that lets you rent out your home, apartment, or room to complete strangers.   It’s not clear that it’s technically always legal in every city, or even permitted by most leases.  The hotel industry is none too enthused either.  But the company is still considering going public, and may end up being valued as high as $10 billion.  In fact, such pressures are common for startups.  In the pharmaceutical industry, for example, companies will go public even before a drug is approved by the FDA.  As for any investment, there’s always an amount of risk.  If the problems aren’t an existential threat, it’s all part of the game.