I Fundamentally Misunderstood the Concept of Airbnb: An Apology

By Evan Bernstein

March 1, 2015

I would like to formally convey my sincerest apologies to Miss Anne Marie Wilson of Marietta, Ohio, for what I assure you was an innocent, albeit fundamental, misunderstanding as to the nature, purpose, limitations, and structure of the service Airbnb. I would like to make it known to Anne, as well as to the many others affected by my misconduct, that I did not act out of malice during my stay in Washington County. It was merely ignorance. I realize that my own stupidity does not excuse nor fully explain the events of last Saturday, but I would be remiss if I did not express my shame and regret for my actions. I am sorry.

I do not seek forgiveness—no, I know that that would be too much to ask at this time. Nor do I seek pity, because I deserve none. My only aim is to provide Anne, as well as the people of Marietta, a context for the way I behaved as a guest in their town.

I am not a madman. I am not a sociopath. I am not a crude, foul, or generally offensive man. I simply did not grasp the ideas at the core of Airbnb. I won’t try to tell you that I misread the terms of use, or that I only skimmed the Wikipedia page. It’s just not true. My behavior was the result of a complete and utter lack of comprehension of the basic principles that make up Airbnb’s foundation.

I won’t blame the documentation, or the marketing, or the media. It’s not their fault. It’s mine. I take full responsibility for the damage, anguish, and sewage-disposal issues that I caused. My actions are my own, and I assume full culpability for them, including any distress, leakage, or pyrotechnical difficulties I may have inadvertently caused as a result of my core misconstruction of the elemental tenets of Airbnb.

To err is human. But to err this egregiously is unworthy of the standards I set for myself. I want to make it absolutely clear that, although I have surely disappointed my friends, my family, and my gracious host in Ohio, I have first and foremost disappointed myself. I’m better than this. I really am.

There will be a time and a place for me to attempt to begin to make it up to all the people I’ve let down, but right now I do not expect that any victims of my weekend vacation are willing to entertain the notion of forgiveness, even briefly. I don’t blame them. What I did was inexcusable, though unintentional, and it stemmed from deep misconceptions about nearly every facet of what Airbnb is and is not.

Again, I sincerely apologize for all the wrong I’ve done. If it brings you any consolation, know that I did what I did only out of a total, categorical misinterpretation of the rudimentary premise of Airbnb. I am sorry.