Airbnb Has A Secret “Black Box” Team To Shield Negative Press By Providing Millions In Hush Money
A secret team of Airbnb agents from across the world including Dublin, Montreal, and Singapore serve as “black box” operatives for the vacation rental chain, with virtually unlimited discretion to keep disasters out of the press through hush money and other forms of compensation. A company with a portfolio of property as large as Airbnb, 5.6 million listings worldwide, is bound to run into issues, but what happens when murder, rape, or violent theft afflict a guest while inside an Airbnb property? Answer: a team of “black box” operatives springs into action with one goal: bury the incident as quickly and cleanly as possible.
An example would be illustrative. It was New Years’ Day in 2016. A 29-year-old Australian woman and her friends had rented an apartment close to Times Square. While her friends partied, the woman returned to her apartment. There, a 24-year-old was hiding in the bathroom in waiting. He proceeded to rape her at knifepoint. It is not clear how he gained entrance, but the ladies were not asked to produce photo identification when they picked up the apartment keys at a nearby bodega.
When her friends returned, the woman called the police who promptly responded to the scene. The rapist, perhaps looking for more action, returned to the apartment while the police were there and was apprehended.
Airbnb saw red flags: New York had been trying to expel Airbnb and this incident could be the perfect catalyst. Immediately, the company flew out the victim’s mother from Australia and put them up in a luxury hotel. Consequently, Airbnb paid for health care costs, counseling, and eventually $7,000,000 in exchange for a waiver promising not to sue nor disparage Airbnb.
All in a days work for the “black box” team.
There are many other grizzly stories, but I think you get the picture.
https://liveandletsfly.com/airbnb-black-box/
https://liveandletsfly.com/airbnb-black-box/