How Airbnb Hijacked Craigslist (and Got Away With It)

No partnerships, no permissions—just pure, uncut startup savagery. This is the story of how Airbnb rewrote the rules of user acquisition and walked off with Craigslist’s customers.

Let’s be honest: in the ruthless arena of startups, few sagas are as deliciously audacious, as morally ambiguous, and as utterly brilliant as Airbnb’s early skirmishes with Craigslist. Forget polite partnerships and cordial collaborations. This, my friends, was a full-blown digital heist, executed with the precision of a Swiss watch and the swagger of a…