Enter the Physical World
Uber and Airbnb mark the advent of software companies into the physical world, writes Brad Stone in his book on the two companies, The Upstarts . In the physical world, these companies ran into the treacherous waters of regulations, and political lobbying by established industries. Everyone knows of Uber. Airbnb is short for Airbed ‘n Breakfast, a site that started by offering people a way to rent a room (with an airbed, hence the name) to a stranger for a couple of days (with breakfast). It was started with the aim of allowing people to find accommodation in cities they visited if they couldn’t find a hotel or just wanted a cheaper option, and allowed others to make some money when they had a room to spare or if they were out of town for a few days! Uber, as I explained in an earlier blog , ran into conflicts with existing cab companies over questions on license to operate and certified billing meters. Airbnb ran into conflicts for different reasons: 1) ...