Faith Goldy Banned from Online Couch Sharing App
Richard Moorhead
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Conservative Canadian commentator and former Toronto mayoral candidate Faith Goldy has become the latest victim of political deplatforming, having been banned from Airbnb, a digital lodging booking service.
Goldy issued a statement to Big League Politics about her ban from Airbnb:
“Today I was banned from a service I have come to rely on in my professional travels as a journalist and commentator. From the outset, Airbnb was considered a market disruptor, bringing a democratization of options to the free market based on connecting supply with demand. However, it has become clear Airbnb is not interested in free market principles; rather, they are a totalitarian company that denies service to individuals based on their political orientation.“
Goldy maintains that she has not violated any of the online boarding house meet market’s terms of service, and says she has reached out to the company. As of our last communication with her, she had yet to receive any response from the purveyors of the Tinder of hotels.
She initially reported her experience on Twitter:
????BANNED FROM AIRBNB????
It’s been over a month since I’ve used @Airbnb.
My inbox was littered w reviews like, “Cleanest guest ever!” “Prompt communication, highly recommend.”
This ban has nothing to do w my behaviour, it has everything to do w my politics.
No opt for recourse! pic.twitter.com/fgefFNLhBP
— Faith J Goldy (@FaithGoldy) April 4, 2019
In the event it’s not already clear: Just like every other ban, this only strengthens my resolve.
If they think a girl who makes unscripted videos from her kitchen table is so dangerous, it proves how WEAK our enemies really are.
Newsflash: Our movement is only getting started!
— Faith J Goldy (@FaithGoldy) April 4, 2019
Airbnb has shown little to no qualms with openly endorsing the political program of the progressive left, even if it means alienating conservatives who utilize its service. AirBnB CEO Brian endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, as did Airbnb co-founders Nathan Blecharczyk and Joe Gebbia.
And Chesky has vocally opposed President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. Some believe the company’s bean counters have determined that open borders and unlimited immigration will translate directly to occupancy rates for couch space up for lease.
While the flop-house-delivering iPhone app clearly fulfills a market need, some have questioned the company’s actual value.
Even Forbes has asked, how the couch-sharing clearinghouse can “justify a valuation that is higher than Expedia, Hilton or American Airlines?”
Forbes goes on:
“Compounding matters is a weak executive team that lacks a chief financial officer and a chief marketing officer less than a year from its goal of being IPO-ready. Then there’s Chesky, a CEO who—despite accepting billions from investors—is not putting their interests at the front of the line.”
What’s more, local authorities are starting to crack down on the shack-up marketplace. Some localities posit that property owners are creating unregulated hotels, while others accuse the company of driving housing shortages. As regulations grow, cities such as Berlin, Santa Monica and San Francisco have all seen their online listings wane—in some cases by more than 30%.
Despite the tightening climate of regulations in blue states like New York and California, Chesky’s allegiance isn’t just to investors: he wants to defer to host cities and employees, too.
“The scorecard for companies has changed,” Chesky explains. “Before, it was really about financial metrics, and I think now companies are realizing we have a greater responsibility to society to make sure life is great.”
As Airbnb begins to drop clients as a result of their ideology, clunky handling of mass reporting, or their online reputation, the question that will be left for investors is, “Does making life great for Airbnb users pay?”
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