Airbnb

California
Consumer Services

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Airbnb has canceled reservations for certain clients and banned users from its platform if they have been involved with any groups the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) puts on its "Hate Group" list. Airbnb scored a 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. By complying with Human Rights Campaign's controversial demands, Airbnb increases the risk of dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. The company covers transgender-related medical costs for its employees and their children and provides specific sexual orientation and gender identity-based benefits. It also uses sex and gender ideology criteria in employee recruitment, vendor selection, marketing, and philanthropic support. Airbnb forces employees to undergo multiple ideological trainings and uses its reputation, corporate funds, and political influence to support controversial sex and gender ideologies, organizations, and legislation. Airbnb provides a benefits package for employees which covers travel/lodging costs for an abortion and transgender medical procedures for covered employees and dependents, including children. The company has donated to Planned Parenthood and has lobbied for the Equality Act. Airbnb funded the Black Lives Matter Foundation and is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. The company opposed various state and local legislation intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces. For these reasons, Airbnb receives a High Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Airbnb received a score of 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). Airbnb canceled the reservations of customers who were attending a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia (3). Airbnb also banned a Filipino American from using its website after she attended an event hosted by a group that the SPLC deemed a “hate group” (4).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Airbnb’s HRC CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). Airbnb does not discriminate against religious organizations in its charitable giving (3).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Airbnb’s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides gender transition guidelines for its employees and a specific benefits guide with a comprehensive explanation of transgender services funded by the company (1)(2). Airbnb does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Airbnb’s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy (1)(2). By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Airbnb signed an open letter in support of the Equality Act (3). The company has signed onto multiple amicus briefs, which include opposition to Trump’s travel ban, support for trans students using the bathroom of their choice and including sexual orientation under Civil Rights act protections (4)(5)(6). The company opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which would prohibit teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to kids in K-3rd grade (7).  Airbnb supports codifying abortion rights, and its CEO Brian Chesky is a signatory to CEOs For Gun Safety (8)(9). The company opposed various state and local legislation intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces (10).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Airbnb provides a benefits package for employees which covers travel/lodging costs for an abortion and transgender medical procedures for covered employees and dependents, including children (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Airbnb’s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. Additionally, the company has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology (6)(7). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Airbnb pledged support to the Black Lives Matter movement and related causes (8)(9)(10). It even allegedly directed its customers to the BLM donation page when they tried to search for bookings through its site (11). Airbnb has also said that its “healthcare coverage supports reproductive rights and we will work to make sure our employees have the resources they need to make choices about their reproductive rights, as we committed to in 2021” (12)(13). The company is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (14).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Airbnb’s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Airbnb has not used its PAC donations for ideological purposes but has lobbied for the Equality Act (3)(4)(5).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 22, 2024

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