[mc32]

My recollection might be off, but I think the term was popularized by the tech press not so much the tech companies described as such.

However, the argument can be made that the sharing, while not in the classical sense, does reduce the impact on resources through efficiencies. So in that sense, people are sharing resources (as in sharing a bus ride --you both pay) and making less impact on earth's resources.

Small cab companies in that sense were more inefficient, among other things, because an idle car (one without a medallion) could be put to use to taxi people around. Same for AB&B. People arguably maximize the use of a house --by renting their spare rooms (the use case has morphed since inception, granted). I think you can see where this model, whatever it's called makes more efficient use of our resources.

[collyw]

I would argue that Airbnb is doing the opposite. Using residential housing for tourists, reducing the supply, when perfectly good hotels are available.

[meric]

The hotels's profitability will reduce, and the marginally profitable ones will be converted into apartments, increasing residential supply.

[Naritai]

To avoid being laughed out of the room, you'll have to prove that the growth in residences due to hotel closures is greater than the loss of residences due to AirBNB.

[meric]

Let me clarify, the increase in housing supply is a reaction towards an increase in AirBNB's and may not cancel out the decrease in housing supply due to those AirBNB's. I made the comment to say the decrease in long term residences is not as great as the number of residences allocated as AirBNB's.

One hotel converted into condominiums create 1100 residences,[1] out of < 30000 AirBNB rentals in NYC. It's such a "problem" the council wanted to ban it. [3]

[1] http://www.marketwatch.com/story/waldorf-astoria-hotel-to-be...

[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11992112

[3] http://nypost.com/2015/05/11/council-plan-would-limit-changi...

[collyw]

Yet, this study says that NY housing stock is down 10% down to Airbnb.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/27/airbnb-new-y...

[r00fus]

Tech press? Where do these outfits get their talking points? Hint: http://paulgraham.com/submarine.html?ref=ep

[mc32]

They don't have to take it and run with it. Obviously the problem is with their editorial integrity. Never the less, we can look beyond the words and discuss the actual things.

[wool_gather]

This is true given that ride sharing is actually displacing under-used personal vehicles (and/or taxis), and not higher-efficiency public transit, or other alternatives. (Suzie goes across town to a bar every Friday night now because she can take an Uber. She used to just walk up the street to the one near her house.)

I don't know whether it is or not (and I assume the answer is different in different places), but it bears mentioning.