During a Fox News interview featuring DOGE staffers, Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia promoted applying private sector standards to overhaul the federal retirement system for government workers, an action that raises concerns about increasing corporate influence over public policy and democratic oversight.

Airbnb-affiliated PAC 'Affordable New York' has initiated political spending in the 2025 NYC primary elections, aiming to support local candidates. This move highlights corporate involvement in local politics, raising concerns about the influence of corporate money in democratic electoral processes.

Airbnb is facing boycott calls after reports emerged that co-founder Joe Gebbia joined Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a move seen as aligning with authoritarian efforts to cut federal spending and restructure government agencies. This association has triggered significant social media backlash and calls to boycott the platform.

In response to the wildfires in Los Angeles, Airbnb has partnered with the LA County Federation of Labor to provide $1M in Airbnb credits, offering free emergency housing for union members displaced by the fires. This initiative demonstrates a strong commitment to labor rights and ethical business practices, directly supporting vulnerable workers during a crisis.

Airbnb is spending $5 million on lobbying efforts to influence New York political campaigns to ease rental restrictions, reflecting a corporate strategy to exert political influence potentially undermining democratic processes.

Airbnb spent a record amount on federal and state lobbying efforts in 2023, with spending reaching $820,000 in nine months and previously $1 million annually. This aggressive political expenditure is aimed at influencing regulatory outcomes and price transparency legislation, raising concerns about corporate influence on democratic processes.

Two Democratic congressmen, Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. James P. McGovern, questioned Airbnb's continued business in China's Xinjiang province, citing the company's failure to condemn human rights abuses and its sponsorship of the Beijing Olympics as evidence of a weak commitment to protecting human rights.

Airbnb has been reported to have listed multiple properties on land owned by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a US-sanctioned entity linked to alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The company’s practice of not vetting underlying landowners raises serious concerns about its complicity in economic collaboration with entities involved in state-sponsored repression and human rights violations.

U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns about Airbnb’s active listings in Xinjiang, where properties are located on land owned by the sanctioned XPCC, an organization implicated in forced labor and human rights abuses. The controversy calls into question Airbnb's commitment to human rights and ethical business practices.

The article reports that Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia was recruited to assist in a digital modernization project for the federal retirement records system, a project emerging in the wake of President Trump’s inauguration and associated with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.