October 27, 2016
In New York City, Uber has flourished. By contrast, its tech sector compatriot, Airbnb, just suffered a nasty blow, courtesy of the state legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo, who last week signed a law that could seriously undermine the company’s operations in the five boroughs. So why did two tech industry giants with multi-billion dollar valuations that purport to partake in the “sharing economy” arrive at such diametrically opposed destinations? Why does Uber flourish in regulation-heavy New York City, while Airbnb encounters so many obstacles? Ask smart people in and around both companies that question, and they say, with caveats, that Airbnb’s problems boil down to two things: entrenched, publicly sympathetic adversaries, and political self-sabotage….
Source: http://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2016/10/airbnb-and-uber-two-tech-giants-with-two-very-different-outcomes-in-new-york-city-106789
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