Airbnb Exec: 'No Army' Can Stop Us

The boast comes as the company faces scrutiny after a man died at one of its rentals.

A senior Airbnb executive boasted on Thursday that the company is unstoppable, even though the company is currently facing allegations that it has lax safety policies.

Chris Lehane, the global head of policy, said at a company conference in Paris that Airbnb is destined to keep growing.

“Home sharing is a big idea,” he said, according to Mashable. “So big that no army could ever really stop it. You are on the side of history.”

However, the company is currently under fire after freelance journalist Zak Stone published an article this week saying his father died in an Airbnb rental. The man was reportedly using a tree swing when a branch snapped and fell on his head. Stone notes in his piece that Airbnb doesn't send inspectors to rentals to make sure they are safe, even though it does send professional photographers to take pictures of some of the properties.

Critics of the company have also accused it of restricting housing options and unfairly avoiding taxes and other regulations.

Airbnb released plans this week to better cooperate with communities in which it operates.

Last week, Airbnb scored a victory when San Francisco residents voted down a measure that would have further regulated the company. Airbnb poured over $8 million into a campaign against the measure. Lehane said the company would use similar tactics in future political battles.

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