"Much like how cryptocurrency is a high-speed re-enactment of how and why we developed modern financial institutions and regulations, Airbnb is a high-speed re-enactment of how and why we developed regulations on and protections for transient lodging establishments." (sorry, no attribution)

See also: taxis

paulmd said it on HN 21 days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12456063

What's that about Ryanair?

People do enjoy complaining but I quite like being able to fly cheap without paying for stuff I don't need. Admittedly it was more appalling when you couldn't even pay for your ticket without paying a fee (unless you had one particular laser card) but the most onerous ones have been phased out.

Although, I should add that it feels bad giving money to Michael O'Leary when he is an outspoken opponent of safer cycling infrastructure in my home.

I get what you're saying with Ryanair (a sub-standard product sold cheaply), but I don't see the link with Uber. It's cheaper than taxis, and is a much much much better product. I consider Uber/Lyft "the full thing" these days, and taxis are archaic. Unclear if Uber's pricing is long-term sustainable, but even at higher prices I'd choose it every time over a taxi.

Uber is selling unorganized, uninsured, unchecked drivers. I believe no legal taxi company can do that since they're liable would anything happen to you. If Uber had to form, insure, optimize, thus manage, they'd require additional workforce, time, costs, and wouldn't give it to you for free.

The customer interface is (was? I don't know if taxi companies competes on the app side) way above and that's the value here. Better information and information model, almost no idle time.

In Montreal there has recently been a giant upheaval of the taxi system as a result of Uber. The taxi industry here was incredibly broken and dysfunctional. They were n unchallenged monopoly, with not enough taxis to go around as the the population began growing again.

Uber came in and was very clearly illegal here, but they offered significantly better service and had more drivers available. A couple years on after fighting the government for a long time, Uber finally came to an agreement with the government and new regulation was passed. Rides sharing vehicles will now require nearly all the same regulations as a taxi, but the larger affect is more competition to traditional all taxis.

Pretty nice. Thanks, I didn't know the situation there.

Interesting listen on how Uber is creating a massive consumer surplus: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/uber-economists-dream/