This start-up horror story is what my colleagues call an "extra-vivid example" -- writ large to gain our attention. What it illustrates is that big money is chasing companies that haven't addressed the basics of running their business. The EJ story is at its heart a public relations failure (as a lesson). My story (http://thefutureofpublishing.com/2011/07/airbnb-and-the-comfort-of-strangers/) illustrates that Airbnb's reservation system doesn't work, there are tons of useless postings, the inn-keepers are amateurs, and that Airbnb's customer service fails in routine matters.
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This start-up horror story is what my colleagues call an "extra-vivid example" -- writ large to gain our attention. What it illustrates is that big money is chasing companies that haven't addressed the basics of running their business. The EJ story is at its heart a public relations failure (as a lesson). My story (http://thefutureofpublishing.com/2011/07/airbnb-and-the-comfort-of-strangers/) illustrates that Airbnb's reservation system doesn't work, there are tons of useless postings, the inn-keepers are amateurs, and that Airbnb's customer service fails in routine matters.