When success becomes too great

Airbnb began as a simple idea: a bed with locals instead of expensive hotels, personal contact, authentic travel. Today it is a billion-dollar company - and in many cities a symbol of the housing shortage, rising rents and overcrowded neighborhoods - Barcelona is probably the most prominent example. What began as a clever idea has developed into a driver of rising rents, housing shortages and displacement in some major cities.

The question is obvious: does a brand bear responsibility if its own success has direct, negative consequences? According to the principle of causation, the answer would be a clear yes. Anyone whose business model triggers displacement, price explosions or other real damage should be ethically obliged to take countermeasures. This is not only a moral question, but also one of the license to operate - the silent contract between a brand and the society that allows it to exist. If trust is lost, the economic foundation will also crumble in the long term. Some would say, in turn, that the principle of market mechanisms applies here: companies react to demand, they don't invent it out of thin air. If regulation and politics do not set the rules of the game, it is not up to the providers to limit themselves.

Perhaps this is precisely the crux of the matter: the bigger a brand becomes, the less responsibility can be clearly separated between what is legally required and what is socially expected. Whether Airbnb will be a role model or a deterrent in the future depends on how it answers this question for itself. What is clear to us, however, is that when a platform changes the character of entire neighborhoods, it is no longer enough to simply satisfy hosts and guests. What do you think?

Here is the link: https://www.brandeins.de/magazine/brand-eins-wirtschaftsmagazin/2025/das-geschaeft-mit-dem-urlaub/airbnb-euer-urlaub-mein-elend