Hosts Protest Airbnb Over Co-Founder’s Tie To DOGE

Short-term rental hosts are taking a stand against a prominent industry figure by pausing their listings.

Airbnb hosts are weighing options after company co-founder Joe Gebbia reportedly started working with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the San Francisco Standard reported. Gebbia resigned from Airbnb in 2022 but remains a board member and major shareholder.

Following news of Gebbia’s involvement with DOGE, dozens of hosts and customers took to the company’s community message boards to express outrage.

“Being in the D.C. area and seeing the impact that DOGE has had on our community and economy, I just feel like I can no longer be an Airbnb host in good faith,” an Arlington, Virginia host told the Standard.

That same host claimed to have previously gone to bat for Airbnb by testifying to her county board against short-term rental restrictions.

In a statement, Airbnb said Gebbia’s had no day-to-day involvement with the platform since 2022, adding that the company “has always been about more than the viewpoint of any one person.”

Gebbia co-founded the company with fellow Rhode Island School of Design alum Brian Chesky and served as chief product officer. Chesky remains in charge of Airbnb.

The former Democratic donor disclosed last year on X his vote for Donald Trump; he is a Robert F. Kennedy supporter and a personal friend of Musk. Gebbia has not confirmed his involvement with DOGE, which is responsible for slashing and burning much of the federal government’s workforce.

Whether this protest significantly affects Airbnb’s bottom line remains to be seen. As of this writing, the company’s stock price has dropped 10% over the past five days. However, customers and hosts alike may be stuck in a bind, as Airbnb is the dominant player in the short-term rental space.

One host, for example, is holding off listing their home and camper van on Airbnb and is in search of another place to put them. Still, they admitted that “all the other ones sort of suck.”

— Holden Walter-Warner