What do Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Martin Luther King and Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb, have in common?
To be a social reformer is to appeal to our higher conscience and change our culture. How does a corporation like AirBnb do that?
In our eyes, strangers are the “others”. We have always perceived them to be dangerous and taught our kids not to speak to them. Our houses are locked and strangers are not welcome. But by using a well designed experience, AirBnB changes all of that, increasing our trust in human beings everywhere.
With social reformers in the past, their entire life’s work was restricted to their local environments. Joe Gebbia is fortunate to be alive today – a time when a technologist can spearhead a social movement across the globe, even as he is just 37 years old.
Inspiration: Joe Gebbia’s TED talk – How Airbnb designs for trust
Observations 