After advocating the end of anonymity, Randi Zuckerberg slipped a bit further into it, leaving her job at Facebook. Let's hope her stock options were vested. Also in today's Valleywag roundup, more Airbnb complaints from readers, Yahoo Mail went down, and Ashton Kutcher was shown up on Twitter.
Now that a horrifying trail of destruction — wrecked apartments, scammed renters, terrible service — has caught up with Airbnb, the once hot vacation listings website is apologizing and making all kids of promises to change. Don't listen.
Meth pipes. Attempted identity theft. Apartments fraudulently rented out from under the real owner. Fresh horror stories have emerged about Airbnb, hot on the heels of customer "EJ's" tale of ransacking last week.
The Airbnb customer whose home was destroyed by a stranger who'd used the service to rent her apartment says a co-founder of the company tried to convince her to delete her blog post about her nightmare because of the "negative impact it could have on his company's growth and current round of funding." So considerate.
A San Franciscan has posted a harrowing tale of a fraudulent Airbnb renter completely violating her apartment, identity, garments, momentos and other valuables. She no longer feels comfortable in her own home or clothes. And she says Airbnb should have done more to protect her.
Three guys who refuse to answer for sleazy spam tactics on behalf of their startup might expect to be shunned. Circumstances being what they are, the same three guys are bathing in money and adulation.
It's that time of the tech boom-bust cycle. Perk time! Chocolate fountains? Check. Indoor tree houses? Check. If your office doesn't have a mechanical bull and a ball pit, you're just not going to attract the talent you need.
Airbnb went from monstrously valued startup to accused unethical spammer in one day. The vacation rental website is taking its investors for a wild ride to the borderline of infamy, just like Facebook, Twitter, Zynga and so many other startups.
When we heard you could "rent" the tiny country of Liechtenstein for $70,000 a night, we were imagining all the residents packing up their stuff in covered wagons and heading to Switzerland. But actually it's more like just having a crazy party there.
