Airbnb recruits Joe Biden's former right-hand man, a 'strategist' to deal with criticism

A major recruitment for the online hosting platform which must face heavy criticism. The Airbnb platform announced Monday the recruitment of Ron Klain, former right-hand man of President Joe Biden at the White House, as director of legal affairs. “Ron is both a strategist capable of gaining heights and someone who is good at implementation,” commented the boss of the American company, Brian Chesky, in a press release. The main interested party felt that it was “unthinkable to pass up the chance to work with Brian (Chesky) and his incredible management team”.

Ron Klain, 62, is due to take office on January 1, 2024, and arrives at a complicated time for the online hosting platform. Many large cities around the world have decided to severely limit the activities of Airbnb, accused of driving up the cost of housing while reducing rental supply.

Since the beginning of September, New York, for example, has prohibited owners from renting apartments or rooms for a period of less than 30 days, except under very strict conditions. Ron Klain, a long-time loyalist of Joe Biden, occupied for two years perhaps the most strategic position within the American state machine, that of “chief of staff”.

This true conductor is responsible for advising the president, filtering the information that reaches and leaves the Oval Office, supervising the dialogue with parliamentarians, setting communication to music, and managing staff. In the hit series “The West Wing,” which takes place behind the scenes of the White House, the president, played by Martin Sheen, has this line: “Do you have a best friend? (...) He is smarter than you? (...) Would you put your life in his hands? (...) There he is, your chief of staff.”