Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Airbnb has hired former Obama attorney general Eric Holder to join its anti-discrimination team

CEO Brian Chesky announced the news in a blog post.

Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton Campaigns In Philadelphia
Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton Campaigns In Philadelphia
Justin Sullivan / Getty

To deal with widespread discrimination on its service, Airbnb has put together a bevy of outside experts to address the issue.

The latest name to be added to that list is the biggest one yet: Former Obama administration U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

In a blog post announcing the news, CEO Brian Chesky said that “while we have a policy that prohibits discrimination, we want this policy to be stronger,” and that Holder’s job will be to help create it.

Holder’s arrival comes during what’s been a difficult 2016 for Airbnb on this topic. Earlier this year, many users, particularly black users, began sharing stories of how they’ve been discriminated against on the short-term home rental platform. The hashtag #AirbnbWhileBlack trended worldwide, and startups like Noirebnb and Noirbnb (they’re different companies, we swear) launched to capitalize on the issue.

At the company’s annual OpenAir conference in June, Chesky and other Airbnb execs publicly committed themselves to completely reexamining Airbnb’s anti-discrimination policies. In today’s blog post, Chesky said this review is halfway complete.

Other people on the outside team that Holder is joining include John Relman, “a leading civil rights attorney and national expert on fair housing and public accommodation issues.” Former ACLU official Laura Murphy is spearheading the ongoing review process.

In a statement provided to Recode by Airbnb (that you can read in full below), Holder says he’s excited to develop a “world-class anti-discrimination policy”:

I’m looking forward to working with Airbnb to develop and implement a world-class anti-discrimination policy. Airbnb is committed to building a community where everyone can belong, no matter who they are or what they look like. I’m eager to help them craft policies that will be the model for companies who share Airbnb’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel