‘Checking In’​ On Airbnb!

We live in an era of disruption, innovation and ruthless corporate excellence.

Silicon Valley tech companies certainly epitomize this phenomenon of disruptive models and none more so than Airbnb. It has certainly disrupted the market, it has innovated the whole concept of the sharing economy, but however one sterling quality is that it has eschewed from falling into the trap of ruthless corporate excellence. Instead Airbnb has prioritized people over profits at its core value.

This was epitomized to me when I saw Joe Gebbia’s TED talk a few years ago.

The disruption and innovation has not eroded its people centric business. Let me elucidate!

For two centuries or so the hotel industry has existed, thrived and has remained free from any external threats. Motels were for the fleeting one-night sojourns on dusty roads while hostels were for backpackers. The hotel industry saw itself immune to any existential threats; in fact, it only competed within its own sector between luxury hotels to budget hotels and boutique hotels and then the brands fought their own turf wars.

Airbnb has disrupted the entire industry by epitomizing what the sharing economy and collaborative consumption is all about.

Airbnb has innovated the peer-to-peer economy by allowing the intrepid traveler to go…