Reinvent Podcast

Laura Murphy, the former head of the American Civil Liberties Union’s DC legislative office, recently conducted a 90-day review of discrimination on Airbnb (read the report here). Murphy says that she believes it’s in the enlightened self-interest of not only Airbnb, but all sharing economy companies, to make a sustained effort to serve entire communities, not just an elite market share. All companies, Murphy said, should be prepared for complaints of discrimination. “To have a company stick its head in the sand and say there’s not a problem out there is naive and also dangerous…You don’t know where discrimination is going to manifest itself, because it’s so much a part of our culture in the United States. Given that, you can’t just do one thing and expect it to solve discrimination for all time.”