Do we like Airbnb?
Online marketplace for short-term home rentals and experiences, based in San Francisco, US
Our score: 5 out of 10. Mixed. It's a useful product and it's giving more to charity and housing, but regulators keep fining it and cities blame it for housing costs. We'd hold back.
Airbnb began with air mattresses on an apartment floor and became one of America's best-known tech firms. Brian Chesky has led it throughout. He's now CEO and Chairman, and his co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk is still on the board.
The big drama is housing. Spain's consumer ministry fined Airbnb €64m in December 2025 for advertising unlicensed rentals, as Reuters reported. Airbnb says the ministry's action is contrary to Spanish rules and is challenging the fine in court. Spain's government blames rental platforms for pushing up housing costs.
Tax is another sore point. Airbnb sued San Francisco in 2024 for a $120m refund of business taxes. Unions boycotted it. In 2026 it settled for $0, with neither side paying. The SF Labor Council said the boycott was justified.
On the good side, Airbnb says it will put $500m into Airbnb.org over five years to provide free stays for medical travelers and disaster survivors. It has also committed $250m to unlock $5bn for housing. Chesky denies Airbnb is the reason cities are expensive, but he accepts some hosts take homes off the market.
So it's a middle score. The charity money is real. But a repeat pattern of fines and fights with cities over licensing, tax and housing means we wouldn't hand it our money without some doubts.