BLOOMBERG TECHNOLOGY
By Ellen Huet
Airbnb Inc. is recruiting a set of former mayors to help the home-rental company navigate its ongoing challenges with regulators at the city level.
The company said Friday it has formed an advisory council of four former mayors from Houston, Philadelphia, Rome, and Adelaide, Australia. It hopes to add more mayors, especially from Asia, Latin America, and other regions.
As Airbnb has expanded across the globe since its founding in 2008, its most ferocious fights have been with city governments, often over taxes and Airbnb’s effect on a region’s housing supply and prices. Three U.S. senators attempted to elevate the issues to a national level last week, when they sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the regulator to probe the industry.
The ex-mayors on Airbnb’s advisory board will likely meet quarterly and receive compensation for their work, said Christopher Nulty, a spokesman for the company. Airbnb hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder as an adviser on Wednesday focusing on strengthening corporate policies around racism and other discrimination on the site.