Airbnb’s moral opportunity during a pandemic
And how to lead by example
I will be donating $0.10 for every view of this story to the Central Texas Food Bank, a nonprofit providing meals and groceries to those in need.
It feels like the entire entertainment economy disappeared overnight.
In 2019 the festival South by Southwest (SXSW) brought over a quarter of a billion dollars to the local Austin economy. All that money — local restaurant revenue, bar rentals, and Airbnb bookings — vanished when SXSW 2020 was cancelled by the City of Austin amid concerns over the novel corona-virus outbreak.
Sadly, it was the right call. As much fun as SXSW is, it was downright dangerous to hold it given these circumstances. The City of Austin can’t singlehandedly prevent the virus from spreading, but it can ban large gatherings like SXSW to help flatten the curve and reducing the burden on our healthcare systems.
Flattening the curve is crucial to surviving this.
Although the festival was banned weeks before it happened, the impact was felt immediately. On the plus side, many cases of the virus were undoubtedly prevented from spreading. A median incubation period of 5 days means that one could be exposed to the virus, spend the entire weekend infecting attendees, and return home all…
