Before you're temped to boycott...

[Judi1363]

Don’t throw out the AIRBNB baby along with the bathwater!

Take action, but please DON’T BOYCOTT! There’s something else you can do. Otherwise, you’ll hurt DISPLACED PERSONS in need of housing and mom-and-pop HOSTS like me. Read on!

CONCERN: Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, has just joined DOGE. There are loud calls to boycott Airbnb. But…

KEY BACKGROUND: There are TWO Airbnb companies: .COM and .ORG. Notice that the second is a not-for-profit company. ORG provides FREE housing for displaced people all over the Globe – Ukraine, LA fires (19,000 people so far), Southeast Georgia floods, Greece earthquakes, and many others. Hosts can contribute $$ or their rental unit to help fund it. Check out their website.

GEBBIA: He’s the Chairman of .ORG. He stepped away from any executive role at .COM years ago, though he is still on the board and an 8% owner.

TAKE ACTION: Skip the boycott and continue to help others who are desperate, and go right to the top. Tell the other co-founders you want Gebbia removed from the .COM Board and the leadership team at .ORG. Email Brian Chesky - the Chairman and CEO of .COM, as well as Nathan Blecharczyk - Chief Strategy Officer of .COM. (See email addresses below.)

Boycotts are effective, but so is deluging leaders with our opinions. The latter doesn’t hurt those who are being helped.

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

EMAILS: This message won't post with specific email addresses so please pardon the gibberish...

Brian dot Chesky at Airbnb dot com

Nathan at Airbnb dot com

[Catherine3793]

Thank you!

[Dawn1140]

I agree and I emailed Chesky a few days ago.  Haven't heard anything back and they haven't made any statement, which is very disappointing and the boycott is gaining momentum.  Should we maybe flood them with phone calls? 

[Anika191]

@Judi1363 

Sent!  Thanks for the info.

[Robert-And-Geri1]

Thanks Judi!  Will do!  I’m so angry right now… DOGE does not represent my values and I do not want to be associated with it.

[Marija406]

Thank you Judi1363, 

I just sent this:  Please remove Joe Gebbia from his board position at airb&b org and pressure him to step down from DOGE or divest himself of his 7% interest in Airbnb. Your continued silence on this matter is unacceptable from a leader. I was about to list as a host and have enjoyed being a traveler but will support alternative platforms even if it costs me massively personally to do so. Gebbia’s support for Musk’s efforts is 100% unacceptable morally. To allow him to continue to chair the board for airb&b.org sends a clear message of support for his actions. I understand not wishing to alienate segments of the population. How is that choice working out for Tesla stock? 

[Suzanne1132]

Thank you for the information.  I have sent an email and will give Airbnb some time to respond however the response must be soon or else I will divest of all involvement with Airbnb and encourage others to do so as well.  While I have enjoyed traveling with Airbnb there are other options.

[Jim448]

Yes, by all means write to Brian Chesky. Joe Gebbia's actions are hurting AirBnB and hurting us hosts. AirBnB shares are down almost 5%. Guests are canceling their visits.  Here is what I wrote to Brian:

"Brian, you’d better fix this: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/us/politics/airbnb-joe-gebbia-musk-doge.html

We have been an AirBnB host since the very beginning. I knew you back then when I was working for Apple and you were couch-surfing. We now host five properties in France and the USA. We travel extensively around the world, always in AirBnB’s. We are also stockholders.

It’s bad enough that AirBnB stock dropped 2% yesterday. It’s worse when my guests cancel because of Joe’s political antics. He is not your friend anymore. At least I hope not.

A quick fix would include a simple announcement from you that Joe is no longer an adviser, consultant, or member of the AirBnB board. Period. "

[Pam92]

I too am quite angry about Gebbia and DOGE. I join you in emailing, and I will do it multiple times if I have to. But with respect to boycotting, I'd like to suggest considering the hosts like myself, who host spaces from our own homes and--as far as I understand--cannot list on VRBO and many other platforms. I'm semi-retired and Airbnb is my now my primary source of income. I feel like my hands are tied to stay on this platform and also that guests who boycott have the potential to cause me more acute financial pain than Airbnb itself will feel. I provide a safe and welcoming space to all--especially women travelers, LGBTQIA, and trans travelers who can be assured of safety & respect as a guest here. That would be business I would morn the loss of for a number of reasons. And I'd also hate to have to close shop to guests of all stripes because a boycott makes hosting unsustainable. I'm struggling to sort it out, but thought it worth sharing because I don't think most folks know that not everyone can just switch and host on VRBO. I'm not sure of the best answer.

[Cathi4]

We also host in our own homes and our bookings have literally crashed.  We had two rooms and they are empty, empty, empty.  Finally I learned about the boycott.  You are right that there are not many options for us but I am going back to what I used to do which was to rent to students at local colleges.  There is a community college in our area so I am making flyers to put up on their housing board. 

Way back when I lived in Washington DC I did foreign student homestay but I'm not sure how many areas have that.  Denver, where we are now, doesn't that I'm aware of.  It is what it is.  DOGE hurts alot of people and I only expect things to get worse in this country of ours.  Welcome to uncertainty, fear and darkness... We are now sort of like immigrants in our own country.

I can't stop thinking about an old Native American prophecy I read years ago when I was doing volunteer work for Standing Rock.  It begins, "We will see America come and go ..."  I can send it to you (or anyone here, once I find it in my files) if you are interested.  It's not encouraging.

[Jo1009]

No one knows who to email wiht complaints and requests for Gebbia to resign.

I'm moving to YELP.

[Judi1363]

Their emails were at the bottom of my message. Here they are:

Brian dot Chesky at Airbnb dot com

Nathan at Airbnb dot com

[Muslim4]

Thanks for the info!

If anyone have a Linkedin Premium account you can directly reach out to them through sending them InMail. I don't have one now, but that's how I used to contact any top management people before when I need to. 

That's for sure is a faster way to contact them. 

[Betty21]

many thanks - very useful.  We're hopping mad here in Europe too.  I shall write immediately.

Has anyone had a reply yet??

[Karen4526]

I wrote to them both after reading this, so on Feb. 20th. I have not received a reply.