Airbnb opens its doors to refugees

Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky said the online homestay network will provide free housing to refugees in need in the US

Airbnb opens its doors to refugees
A series of tweets by Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky this past weekend expressed his profound disagreement on President Trump’s recent travel restrictions on refugees and immigrants.

“Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US,” Chesky tweeted. “Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing.”

The tweet has gotten 141,000 retweets and 191,000 favorites since its posting.

“Open doors brings all of US together,” Chesky said in another tweet. “Closing doors further divides US. Let's all find ways to connect people, not separate them.”

Chesky’s statement puts him with other tech giants who’ve come out against Trump’s policies, such as Google’s Sergey Brin, Uber’s Travis Kalanick and Netflix’s Reed Hastings, according to Fortune.

Chesky sent an email to Airbnb employees Saturday night, saying he profoundly disagrees with the policy and calling it a direct obstacle to Airbnb’s mission, Fortune reported.

"We believe that you should be able to travel to and live in any community around the world," he said. "If we want this to be more than just something we put on a plaque, we have to take action. So here is some of the action we are taking.”


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