AIRBnB, THE POPULAR PEER TO PEER HOUSING FACILITATOR
RECENTLY APOLOGIZED FOR SOME OF THEIR CONTROVERSIAL BILLBOARD
ADS THAT THEY POSTED IN SAN FRANCISCO.
HERE IS ONE RELATED
TO EDUCATION.
IT SAYS, "DEAR BOARD OF EDUCATION, PLEASE USE
SOME OF THE $12 MILLION IN HOTEL TAX TO KEEP ART IN SCHOOLS.
LOVE AIR B&B."
THERE IS ANOTHER ONE THAT WAS DIRECTED AT
A LIBRARY.
IT SAYS, "DEAR PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM, WE HOPE
THAT YOU USE SOME OF THE $12
MILLION IN HOTEL TAXES TO KEEP LIBRARIES OPEN LATER."
THE
LIBRARY RESPONDED BY SAYING, "OUT OF YOUR $12 MILLION DOLLAR
HOTEL TAX, ONLY 1.4 PERCENT GOES TO THE SF PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
DIVIDED BY THE 868 LIBRARY STAFF, WE HAVE $193 PER PERSON.
THIS IS SEVENTY-EIGHT CENTS PER EMPLOYEE PER DAY.
I DOUBT THAT
YOUR HOTEL TAX CAN KEEP THE LIBRARIES OPEN MORE THAN A
MINUTE OR TWO LATER."
THAT IS MARTHA KENNY, SHE WORKS AT THE
LIBRARY THAT REPRESENTS IT.
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SAY, SO WHAT?
THEYíRE JUST TELLING SAN FRANCISCO
HOW TO USE THE MONEY THAT THEY ARE COLLECTING FROM
THIS ORGANIZATION.
BUT CHECK OUT THIS OTHER BILLBOARD, THIS ONE IS A
LITTLE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE.
IT READS, "DEAR SF TAX COLLECTOR, YOU KNOW THE $12
MILLION IN HOTEL TAXES?
DON'T SPEND IT ALL IN ONE PLACE."
I DON'T HAVE ANY BEEF WITH ANY OF THESE ADS.
IT'S THEIR
COMPANY, THEY ARE GETTING THEIR NAME OUT THERE.
I MEAN, THEY
HAVE NOW PANICKED AND WITHDRAWN THE ADS, BECAUSE THERE IS AN
ARGUMENT THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO BE SNARKY.
WE PAID, WE
CONTRIBUTED, WE'RE JUST HAVING A
LITTLE FUN WITH IT.
A UNIQUE WAY TO GET THEIR NAME OUT THERE.
WAS IT REALLY DIRECTED AT THE LIBRARY OR THE SCHOOLS IN
SAN FRANCISCO?
I HAVE TO DISAGREE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE CONTEXT, THERE HAS
BEEN HUGE CONTROVERSY IN SAN FRANCISCO BECAUSE OF THE HOUSING
CRISIS.
RECENTLY, THE SAN
FRANCISCO OCCUPANCY TAX WENT INTO EFFECT, AND PEOPLE ARE
SAYING THIS IS NECESSARY BECAUSE AIR B&B IS ACTUALLY TAKING AWAY
HOUSING THAT CAN BE USED BY MORE PERMANENT RESIDENTS.
THEY ARE MAKING A BUSINESS FOR TOURISTS, AND TURNING
RESIDENCY INTO TOURISM, WHICH IS DRIVING UP PRICES AND
PRICING PEOPLE OUT OF THE CITY.
IT IS VERY CONTROVERSIAL, SAN FRANCISCO DECIDED TO ADD A
TAX, AND THIS IS THE WAY AIR B&B IS RESPONDING.
I GOT IT, BUT I MEAN, THEY ARE PAYING THE TAX.
THAT
CONTEXT DOESN'T CHANGE MY OPINION AT ALL, IT'S AN AD.
THEIR JOB IS SOMETHING ELSE.
FIRST OF ALL, THEY ARE LITERALLY
ENTREPRENEUR-ING, I'M GOING TO MAKE UP A WORD ñ PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN PRICED OUT OF SAN FRANCISCO SINCE ñ FOR A LONG TIME PEOPLE
ARE GETTING PRICED OUT OF SAN FRANCISCO.
SO, I DON'T KNOW.
THIS IS A COMPANY, AND NOW THIS IS A
WHOLE OTHER FIGHT, THE CITY WANTS TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF
DAYS PER YEAR THAT YOU CAN AIR B&B A HOUSE TO SEVENTY-FIVE,
WHICH I IMAGINE WOULD CAUSE OF SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE TO CHANGE
THEIR MINDS ABOUT HOW THEY WANT
TO ñ
STOP DOING IT.
AND RENT THE HOUSE OUT PERMANENTLY.
I GUESS THE CITY
GETS TO DO THAT TOO.
MY PROBLEM WITH THIS IS LESS ABOUT, I THINK IT'S OFFENSIVE IN
SOME RESPECT TO THE LIBRARIES, WHICH, I LOVE LIBRARIES AND I
WANT THEM TO HAVE MORE MONEY, IT'S JUST THAT I THINK IT'S
UNWISE.
I THINK THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT, BUT IF I WAS
A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OR A SHAREHOLDER I WOULD BE LIKE,
WHAT ARE YOU WASTING THIS MONEY FOR?
IN LOBBYING, THEY HAVE
ALREADY SPENT ABOUT $12 MILLION
ANYWAY.
WELL, THEY SPENT THAT MONEY TO BEAT BACK THE SEVENTY-FIVE DAY
RESTRICTION.
THAT'S FAIR.
WHY I THINK THIS IS A STUPID SET OF ADS IS,
SAN FRANCISCO, A BIG CITY FULL OF RICH PEOPLE, AND WHEN THEY
SEE AN AD THAT SAYS $12 BILLION IN HOTEL TAXES.
I WOULD LOOK AT
THAT AND SAY, AIR B&B IS A MASSIVE ORGANIZATION, WHAT DO I
CARE ABOUT YOUR $12 MILLION?
THIS IS SAN FRANCISCO, THIS IS
BIG MONEY IN EVERY WAY, YOU ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT $12 MILLION?
AND THEN, IF IT DID AFFECT ME, I WOULD SEE THE LIBRARY
THING, AND THE SCHOOL THING, AND I WOULD THINK, GOVERNMENT
IS GOOD, THANKFULLY THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS MONEY
AND DO GOOD STUFF WITH IT.
IT WOULD DIRECTLY CONVINCE ME, THANK GOD THIS TAX EXISTS.
YOU ARE PRESUMING THAT THEY WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE TAX.
I DON'T READ IT AS COMPLAINING THAT THE TAX EXISTS.
THEN WHY DID THEY BACK OFF?
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET CRITICIZED.
I DON'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT AIR B&B, BUT PEOPLE COMPLAINED.
YOUíRE ATTACKING THE SCHOOLS AND THE LIBRARIES AND THE KIDS.
JESUS, ENOUGH.
FINE, WE'LL RUN DIFFERENT ADS.
TO ME IT SEEMED PETTY.
AIR B&B SAID IT WAS THE WRONG TONE, AND THEY APOLOGIZED TO
ANYONE THAT WAS OFFENDED.
OFFENDED BY AN AD!
I'M NOT OFFENDED, I THINK IT WAS UNWISE.
THAN THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE DECISION THAT AIR B&B MADE.
I
WOULD HAVE AGREED, YOU WOULD'VE CONVINCED ME.
BUT I MEAN, WHO
CAN POSSIBLY GET OFFENDED BY
THAT?
WHAT OFFENSE IS TAKEN?
WHOEVER IS OFFENDED BY THAT,
YOUR LIFE MUST BE MISERABLE.