Hi everyone. We just had a cancellation and the woman said it was because she read that one of the cofounders of Airbnb is now part of the new DOGE department with Elon Musk. I looked him up and he is no longer active on staff but he is a consultant on the board of Airbnb. Some of you may think this is just fine but for others, perhaps one might lodge a complaint?
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I saw that too, itâs been in the news. Itâs Joe Gebbia. Heâs known to be buddies with Musk and is on the board at Tesla and still on the board at Airbnb. Just another billionaire. Interesting you got a cancelation over it. I wonder if it will gain any traction.
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Wonder how Airbnb can spin having Joe Gebbia as a consultant on their board, working with an administration that has scrubbed mention of women, LGBTQ+, killed DEI, and is full of racists, homophobes and misogynists, with their constant messaging about inclusion and diversity.
And is the POTUS going to now threaten to take away Airbnbâs business license if they donât remove all reference to anti-discrimination from their website?
Is some prejudiced Airbnb host going to take Airbnb to court because they are forced to accept a POC or a gay couple? Challenge them over not being able to see a guestâs photo before booking confirmation, so they can decline bookings from demographics they hate?
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Hereâs the email I just sent to brian.chesky@airbnb.com:
Subject: If Airbnb is For Everyone . . .
To: brian.chesky@airbnb.com
Why is Joe Gebbia, your co-founder, joining Elon Musk at Doge to root out diversity, equity and inclusion? And identifying public servants to fire by searching government records on those terms as well as the word âjusticeâ?
As a long-time Airbnb Superhost (on hiatus as I care for an elderly family member in my accessible Airbnb bed/bath unit) and former federal employee, I will not be listing on your platform in the future.
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Thanks for the email address. Hereâs the version I just sent. And I donât know if Airbnb administrators are reading this forum but if you are, please pay attention.
We have had our first cancellation due to your employment of Joe Gebbia. If customer switched over to VRBO or another service not only hurts us but it hurts you. And you cannot afford the bad press either.
Why is Joe Gebbia, your co-founder, joining Elon Musk at DOGE â and why is he still a consultant and board member with Airbnb? If we target diversity, equity and inclusion we will no longer be Airbnb. Our identity will be gone.
Please get rid of this man and let us know that you have gotten rid of him. We depend on this income and have been loyal Airbnb customers as well. That could change.
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I will also send feedback and hope everyone who finds this disturbing does so and they are inundated with user objections.
I wouldnât include the fact that he is a co-founder, though- what is relevant is that he is currently involved in Airbnb.
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@muddy This is only one problem out of a host of things and itâs only the beginning of the reign of terror. Glad Iâm not hosing now for a variety of reasons.
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Of course, this adminstration is an existential threat on all levels. But this being a hosting forum, this matter of Gebbiaâs values and integrity is pertinent here.
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I have been hosting since 2015. I have great reviews and work hard to keep my place in good shape for all my guests. I rarely have any cancellations. I just had my first one tonight stating because of Gebbia being part of DOGE with Musk they cannot support Airbnb. That was a seven night stay. I am afraid this is getting traction and will hurt my reservations. I am retired and depend on this income. Iâm contacting Airbnb to see what their stance is and how they are going to stop this boycott. It is going to hurt a lot of hosts.
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Honestly, itâs a bit of a stretch to cancel based on that connection, especially since the guyâs just a consultant now. But hey, everyoneâs got their own reasons, right? If it really bothers someone, a complaint might make them feel better, but I doubt itâll change much.
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You have a good point - itâs possible the guests that cancel and use this as a reason were going to cancel anyway.
But Iâm going to be sure I keep everyoneâs phone number that booked with us. And if they cancel for this reason, Iâll text them and offer to let them book with me directly. I keep my politics to myself when it comes to business.
It will be interesting to see if those people that cancel would book directly - or if the stated reason was just an excuse.
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Everyone needs to voice their concerns to Airbnb. If they donât hear from hosts and guests they will not do anything. Better to be proactive. I just got off the phone with Airbnb and they are prioritizing their next action about how to communicate out what is happening so they donât lose hosts and guests.
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Good way to have AirBnb terminate you.
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They wouldnât terminate users for sending them feedback, unless the feedback is profane or states that the user will violate Airbnb policy, like stating that you assert the right not to host Muslims or gays.
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This is an important thing to do in general. There are other reasons to do so- the platform glitches out, the message function glitches, some guest reports some bogus complaint and Airbnb suspends your listing and cancels your bookings, etc. I have always written down guestsâ phone numbers and booked dates as soon as a booking is confirmed.
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If a guest cancelled for this stated reason, I wouldnât keep my politics to myself. When asking if they wanted to book directly, I would let them know I also object to an Airbnb consultant working with the US administration and have sent them my negative feedback.
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Foleyba, what exactly did Airbnb say? And were you speaking to a decision maker? Thanks
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The Airbnb rep that handled my inquiry said she was opening up a report of my concern.
She said coincidentally she was going into a meeting to address and report present concerns of other hosts that had this exact same cancellations of guests for the same reason, of a current CEO joining Musk in his DOGE quest, I want to be clear here I donât ever allude to any party or political alignment in this post or my Airbnb listing. I welcome any guest. I donât know if we will hear of any decision made in the near future.
I hope this addresses your question.
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âGebbia donated to the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. He has said that his politics have shifted towards the Republican Party over time. In the 2024 presidential election, he voted for Donald Trump. In 2025, Gebbia praised President Donald Trumpâs nomination of anti-vaccine conspiracy theoristâ.
BTW, he also serves on the BOD of Tesla. And he, of course, owns mega shares of Airbnb, which is the largest part of his net worth of over $7 billion.
âShifted towards the politics of the Republican partyâ = âI hang with billionnaires now, I no longer trouble myself with petty things like integrity, or moral valuesâ.
What astounds me is that Airbnb didnât foresee the fallout from this and either remove Gebbia from their board and any association with Airbnb, or at least make a statement before the shit hit the fan. Did they really think no one would notice?
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I would agree that this situation is something Brian Chesky and others in charge of running AirBnB should have seen coming. Joe Gebbia should not be on the board or have anything to do with the running of the company. When soneones regular bed fellows are RFK jr and Musk, that tells me alot about this guy.
I am already feeling the heat from this DOGE affiliation- anti AirBnB posts are all over social media. I work really HARD to present my rental as freindly and welcoming to all people- this current situation is a PR disaster and I am sure does not represent the core values of us, the owners and operatorsâŚwhat about you, Brian???
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