public company

Airbnb

Industry Travel

A public lodging marketplace connecting guests with hosts for short-term rentals and experiences. Airbnb is convenient and sometimes useful, but platform fees, housing-market pressure, surveillance/trust scoring, discrimination governance, and regulatory externalization make it substantially weaker than ordinary lodging alternatives.

Why this matters: Airbnb is a major hotel competitor, but the comparison has to include housing and neighborhood effects, not just price.

Letter grade F Malignant Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Last reviewed May 11, 2026

Final Score -12* F - Malignant

FMALIGNANT-12 pts

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

Base Material8

Bonus+0

Cap35Ownership <= 2 and Governance <= 2

After Cap8

Penalties-20

Private Government badge

Airbnb receives the Private Government badge because it combines large-scale private rule-setting over customers, workers, users, members, or counterparties with OpenLobby-documented lobbying of about $1.9M on public policy issues.

Evidence: [10]

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Evaluation Overview

F - Malignant

The score turns mainly on Product Integrity, with the largest penalty coming from Policy Capture.

Strengths

Product Integrity2/5
Ownership1/10
Governance1/10

Penalties

Policy Capture-6
Human Harm-5
Surveillance Capture-4
Accountability Opacity-2

Evidence state

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
Linked claims10
Direct axis claims9
Coverage9/15

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	1 / 10	Airbnb is a shareholder-governed public company, so platform policy is investor-centered rather than controlled by guests, hosts, neighbors, or housing-affected communities. Airbnb is a shareholder-governed public company, so platform policy is investor-centered rather than controlled by guests, hosts, neighbors, or housing-affected communities. That keeps Airbnb low on Ownership: decisive control remains with shareholders, private owners, executives, or state insiders rather than affected people. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence Airbnb is a shareholder-governed public company, so platform policy is investor-centered rather than controlled by guests, hosts, neighbors, or housing-affected communities. [1]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	1 / 10	Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. Linked evidence context Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. [2] context Airbnb is a shareholder-governed public company, so platform policy is investor-centered rather than controlled by guests, hosts, neighbors, or housing-affected communities. [1] context Airbnb’s platform fees, host fees, guest fees, search ranking, cancellation rules, and local market effects create strong asymmetry between the platform and users. [3] context Short-term rental concentration has been linked in policy debates and academic work to housing affordability and neighborhood displacement concerns, making external housing harm material to Airbnb’s score. [4] context Airbnb collects identity, payment, profile, device, location, communications, trip, host, guest, fraud-prevention, and trust-and-safety data across the marketplace. [5] context Airbnb total costs, platform fees, cleaning fees, local rules, risk scoring, host quality, and housing externalities are not transparent enough for ordinary guests to evaluate cleanly. [6] context Airbnb often frames itself as neutral sharing-economy infrastructure while exercising platform power that affects housing markets, neighborhoods, hosts, guests, and municipal regulation. [7]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	1 / 10	Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. That keeps Airbnb low on Extraction: the business model makes extraction from workers, users, suppliers, customers, or the public central rather than incidental. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence context Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. [2] context Airbnb is a shareholder-governed public company, so platform policy is investor-centered rather than controlled by guests, hosts, neighbors, or housing-affected communities. [1] context Airbnb’s platform fees, host fees, guest fees, search ranking, cancellation rules, and local market effects create strong asymmetry between the platform and users. [3] context Short-term rental concentration has been linked in policy debates and academic work to housing affordability and neighborhood displacement concerns, making external housing harm material to Airbnb’s score. [4] context Airbnb collects identity, payment, profile, device, location, communications, trip, host, guest, fraud-prevention, and trust-and-safety data across the marketplace. [5] context Airbnb total costs, platform fees, cleaning fees, local rules, risk scoring, host quality, and housing externalities are not transparent enough for ordinary guests to evaluate cleanly. [6] context Airbnb often frames itself as neutral sharing-economy infrastructure while exercising platform power that affects housing markets, neighborhoods, hosts, guests, and municipal regulation. [7]
Labor Sovereignty ? Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at 7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling, retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of worker voice, or extreme turnover.	1 / 7	Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. That keeps Airbnb low on Labor Sovereignty: labor remains managerially controlled, replaceable, or exposed to coercive employment and contracting conditions. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence context Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. [2] context Airbnb is a shareholder-governed public company, so platform policy is investor-centered rather than controlled by guests, hosts, neighbors, or housing-affected communities. [1] context Airbnb’s platform fees, host fees, guest fees, search ranking, cancellation rules, and local market effects create strong asymmetry between the platform and users. [3] context Short-term rental concentration has been linked in policy debates and academic work to housing affordability and neighborhood displacement concerns, making external housing harm material to Airbnb’s score. [4] context Airbnb collects identity, payment, profile, device, location, communications, trip, host, guest, fraud-prevention, and trust-and-safety data across the marketplace. [5] context Airbnb total costs, platform fees, cleaning fees, local rules, risk scoring, host quality, and housing externalities are not transparent enough for ordinary guests to evaluate cleanly. [6] context Airbnb often frames itself as neutral sharing-economy infrastructure while exercising platform power that affects housing markets, neighborhoods, hosts, guests, and municipal regulation. [7]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	1 / 7	Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. That keeps Airbnb low on Solidarity with the Unemployed: the model provides little protection for people who leave, are excluded, or cannot bargain from employment. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence context Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. [2] context Airbnb is a shareholder-governed public company, so platform policy is investor-centered rather than controlled by guests, hosts, neighbors, or housing-affected communities. [1] context Airbnb’s platform fees, host fees, guest fees, search ranking, cancellation rules, and local market effects create strong asymmetry between the platform and users. [3] context Short-term rental concentration has been linked in policy debates and academic work to housing affordability and neighborhood displacement concerns, making external housing harm material to Airbnb’s score. [4] context Airbnb collects identity, payment, profile, device, location, communications, trip, host, guest, fraud-prevention, and trust-and-safety data across the marketplace. [5] context Airbnb total costs, platform fees, cleaning fees, local rules, risk scoring, host quality, and housing externalities are not transparent enough for ordinary guests to evaluate cleanly. [6] context Airbnb often frames itself as neutral sharing-economy infrastructure while exercising platform power that affects housing markets, neighborhoods, hosts, guests, and municipal regulation. [7]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	1 / 7	Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. That keeps Airbnb low on Loss-Bearing Fidelity: losses, hazards, or adjustment costs are routinely pushed onto workers, customers, suppliers, communities, or the public. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence context Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. [2] context Airbnb is a shareholder-governed public company, so platform policy is investor-centered rather than controlled by guests, hosts, neighbors, or housing-affected communities. [1] context Airbnb’s platform fees, host fees, guest fees, search ranking, cancellation rules, and local market effects create strong asymmetry between the platform and users. [3] context Short-term rental concentration has been linked in policy debates and academic work to housing affordability and neighborhood displacement concerns, making external housing harm material to Airbnb’s score. [4] context Airbnb collects identity, payment, profile, device, location, communications, trip, host, guest, fraud-prevention, and trust-and-safety data across the marketplace. [5] context Airbnb total costs, platform fees, cleaning fees, local rules, risk scoring, host quality, and housing externalities are not transparent enough for ordinary guests to evaluate cleanly. [6] context Airbnb often frames itself as neutral sharing-economy infrastructure while exercising platform power that affects housing markets, neighborhoods, hosts, guests, and municipal regulation. [7]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	0 / 5	Airbnb’s platform fees, host fees, guest fees, search ranking, cancellation rules, and local market effects create strong asymmetry between the platform and users. Airbnb’s platform fees, host fees, guest fees, search ranking, cancellation rules, and local market effects create strong asymmetry between the platform and users. That keeps Airbnb low on Market Conduct: market power, lock-in, coercive pricing, or exclusionary conduct is a major part of the institution's position. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence Airbnb’s platform fees, host fees, guest fees, search ranking, cancellation rules, and local market effects create strong asymmetry between the platform and users. [3]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	2 / 5	Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. That places Airbnb in the middle of Product Integrity: the product has real use value but is compromised by incentives, monetization, lock-in, quality degradation, or risk. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Linked evidence Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. [2]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	0 / 5	Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. Linked evidence context Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model. [2] context Airbnb is a shareholder-governed public company, so platform policy is investor-centered rather than controlled by guests, hosts, neighbors, or housing-affected communities. [1] context Airbnb’s platform fees, host fees, guest fees, search ranking, cancellation rules, and local market effects create strong asymmetry between the platform and users. [3] context Short-term rental concentration has been linked in policy debates and academic work to housing affordability and neighborhood displacement concerns, making external housing harm material to Airbnb’s score. [4] context Airbnb collects identity, payment, profile, device, location, communications, trip, host, guest, fraud-prevention, and trust-and-safety data across the marketplace. [5] context Airbnb total costs, platform fees, cleaning fees, local rules, risk scoring, host quality, and housing externalities are not transparent enough for ordinary guests to evaluate cleanly. [6] context Airbnb often frames itself as neutral sharing-economy infrastructure while exercising platform power that affects housing markets, neighborhoods, hosts, guests, and municipal regulation. [7]

Penalties

Penalty	Applied	Why this penalty
Human Harm ? Severity, scale, culpability, vulnerable targets, willful reoffense, reputation laundering, pattern escalation, and time decay. Range: -20 to 0.	-5	Short-term rental concentration has been linked in policy debates and academic work to housing affordability and neighborhood displacement concerns, making external housing harm material to Airbnb’s score. Short-term rental concentration has been linked in policy debates and academic work to housing affordability and neighborhood displacement concerns, making external housing harm material to Airbnb’s score. That warrants a limited Human Harm penalty because ordinary operation, documented misconduct, or institutional power creates serious injury, deprivation, abuse, or foreseeable human damage. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence Short-term rental concentration has been linked in policy debates and academic work to housing affordability and neighborhood displacement concerns, making external housing harm material to Airbnb’s score. [4]
Ecological Harm ? Footprint, trajectory, irreversibility, culpability, and scale, including whether ecological harm is central to the model and continued after credible notice. Range: -30 to 0.	-1	Airbnb retains conduct relevant to the Ecological Harm penalty: short-term rental travel can induce additional trips, cleaning, furnishing, local transport, energy use, and housing turnover even though it does not own hotels directly. Airbnb retains conduct relevant to the Ecological Harm penalty: short-term rental travel can induce additional trips, cleaning, furnishing, local transport, energy use, and housing turnover even though it does not own hotels directly. That warrants a limited Ecological Harm penalty because the institution causes or defends ecological damage that is more than incidental to the model. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence Airbnb retains conduct relevant to the Ecological Harm penalty: short-term rental travel can induce additional trips, cleaning, furnishing, local transport, energy use, and housing turnover even though it does not own hotels directly. [8]
Policy Capture ? Private-interest attempts to bend law, regulation, subsidies, taxes, enforcement, trade, labor, safety, competition, environmental, healthcare, housing, surveillance, civil-liberties, or consumer policy against workers, customers, citizens, affected communities, or ecological life. Public-interest advocacy is not penalized merely because it is lobbying. Range: -15 to 0.	-6	OpenLobby records AIRBNB lobbying on technology, economic development, tourism, healthcare, disaster planning, budget, and other issues with about $1.9M in spending across 35 filings; the… OpenLobby records AIRBNB lobbying on technology, economic development, tourism, healthcare, disaster planning, budget, and other issues with about $1.9M in spending across 35 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. That warrants a substantial Policy Capture penalty because private institutional pressure is being applied to public rules while affected people cannot democratically govern that agenda. The value is substantial but not at the floor because the linked record shows serious conduct without the strongest aggravating factors on this axis. Linked evidence OpenLobby records AIRBNB lobbying on technology, economic development, tourism, healthcare, disaster planning, budget, and other issues with about $1.9M in spending across 35 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. [9]
Accountability Opacity ? Material opacity, reputation laundering, or hidden accountability structures that prevent public accountability. Range: -2 to 0.	-2	Airbnb total costs, platform fees, cleaning fees, local rules, risk scoring, host quality, and housing externalities are not transparent enough for ordinary guests to evaluate cleanly. Airbnb total costs, platform fees, cleaning fees, local rules, risk scoring, host quality, and housing externalities are not transparent enough for ordinary guests to evaluate cleanly. That warrants a severe Accountability Opacity penalty because material facts, risks, conflicts, ownership, or accountability information are obscured from the public. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Linked evidence Airbnb total costs, platform fees, cleaning fees, local rules, risk scoring, host quality, and housing externalities are not transparent enough for ordinary guests to evaluate cleanly. [6]
Surveillance Capture ? Invasive surveillance, unreasonably non-optional tracking, facial recognition, biometric identification, or AI behavior scanning of customers, workers, bystanders, or the public. Range: -5 to 0.	-4	Airbnb collects identity, payment, profile, device, location, communications, trip, host, guest, fraud-prevention, and trust-and-safety data across the marketplace. Airbnb collects identity, payment, profile, device, location, communications, trip, host, guest, fraud-prevention, and trust-and-safety data across the marketplace. That warrants a severe Surveillance Capture penalty because customers, workers, users, bystanders, or the public are exposed to invasive tracking, biometrics, or behavior scanning. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Linked evidence Airbnb collects identity, payment, profile, device, location, communications, trip, host, guest, fraud-prevention, and trust-and-safety data across the marketplace. [5]
Ideological Disavowal ? Concealed ideology presented as neutrality, expertise, professional necessity, public-service administration, market inevitability, or non-ideological common sense while exercising power. Range: -3 to 0.	-2	Airbnb often frames itself as neutral sharing-economy infrastructure while exercising platform power that affects housing markets, neighborhoods, hosts, guests, and municipal regulation. Airbnb often frames itself as neutral sharing-economy infrastructure while exercising platform power that affects housing markets, neighborhoods, hosts, guests, and municipal regulation. That warrants a substantial Ideological Disavowal penalty because the institution presents situated, contested choices as neutrality, expertise, inevitability, safety, or common sense. The value is substantial but not at the floor because the linked record shows serious conduct without the strongest aggravating factors on this axis. Linked evidence Airbnb often frames itself as neutral sharing-economy infrastructure while exercising platform power that affects housing markets, neighborhoods, hosts, guests, and municipal regulation. [7]

Bonus Credits

No bonus credits applied in this version.

Confidence Basis

Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.

Medium 76/100

9 verified linked claims 9 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 9/15 components covered

This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.

Claim confidence 17/20

9 verified linked claims

Source quality 15/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 9/18

9 direct claims across 15 active components

Dispute load 12/12

0 disputed claims on this entity

Recency 10/10

Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026

Reviewer status 7/12

Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding

Component coverage 6/10

9/15 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)

Correction routeUse “Challenge this rating” for factual errors, missing counterevidence, source problems, or calculation mistakes.

Company responseCompany representatives can submit source-backed corrections; payment never changes scores or reviewer authority.

Claims and Sources

Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

1Airbnb is a shareholder-governed public company, so platform policy is investor-centered rather than controlled by guests, hosts, neighbors, or housing-affected communities.

Ownership Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Airbnb annual reportsPrimary institutional record · 90%

2Airbnb operates a global marketplace for short-term stays and experiences, connecting guests and hosts through a platform model.

Product Integrity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Airbnb annual reportsPrimary institutional record · 90%

3Airbnb’s platform fees, host fees, guest fees, search ranking, cancellation rules, and local market effects create strong asymmetry between the platform and users.

Market Conduct Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Airbnb fees help pageGeneral web source · 58%
Airbnb annual reportsPrimary institutional record · 90%

4Short-term rental concentration has been linked in policy debates and academic work to housing affordability and neighborhood displacement concerns, making external housing harm material to Airbnb’s score.

Human Harm Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Harvard Joint Center Airbnb housing study summaryPrimary institutional record · 90%

5Airbnb collects identity, payment, profile, device, location, communications, trip, host, guest, fraud-prevention, and trust-and-safety data across the marketplace.

Surveillance Capture Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Airbnb Privacy PolicyOfficial self-description · 68%

6Airbnb total costs, platform fees, cleaning fees, local rules, risk scoring, host quality, and housing externalities are not transparent enough for ordinary guests to evaluate cleanly.

Accountability Opacity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Airbnb fees help pageGeneral web source · 58%
Airbnb Privacy PolicyOfficial self-description · 68%

7Airbnb often frames itself as neutral sharing-economy infrastructure while exercising platform power that affects housing markets, neighborhoods, hosts, guests, and municipal regulation.

Ideological Disavowal Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Airbnb annual reportsPrimary institutional record · 90%

8Airbnb retains conduct relevant to the Ecological Harm penalty: short-term rental travel can induce additional trips, cleaning, furnishing, local transport, energy use, and housing turnover even though it does not own hotels directly.

Ecological Harm Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Airbnb annual reportsPrimary institutional record · 90%

9OpenLobby records AIRBNB lobbying on technology, economic development, tourism, healthcare, disaster planning, budget, and other issues with about $1.9M in spending across 35 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role.

Policy Capture Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — AIRBNB lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

10Airbnb receives the Private Government badge because it combines large-scale private rule-setting over customers, workers, users, members, or counterparties with OpenLobby-documented lobbying of about $1.9M on public policy issues.

Private Government Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — AIRBNB lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

Alternatives

Competitors

AGOOD53 Hostelling International USA nonprofit hostel network · same market BQUALIFIED45 Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels employee-owned restaurant and hotel company · same market CPERFORMATIVE36 Best Western / BWH Hotels independent-hotel brand network · same market DEXTRACTIVE34 Drury Hotels family-owned value hotel chain · same market DEXTRACTIVE22 Marriott International public hotel and lodging company · same market DEXTRACTIVE12 Hilton public company · same market DEXTRACTIVE8 Hyatt public company · same market FMALIGNANT-3 Expedia Group public company · same market

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