The Sharing Economy Needs to Start Sharing Its Data Too – Airbnb Uses Data to Build Trust

To hear cofounder and CTO Nate Blecharczyk tell it, Airbnb built its data empire almost by accident.

In its early days, the company was little more than a second-generation Craigslist, connecting homeowners and renters and leaving them to work out the finer points of the stay. But, says Blecharczyk, the limitations of this approach became clear when cofounder Brian Chesky used the service to book a room while visiting the SXSW conference in 2008.

By Jason Tanz

Full Story: http://www.wired.com/2014/05/sharing-economy-fico/