Probably “unethical, law-flouting, neighborhood-destroying Ponzi scheme” would be a better description of AirBNB specifically.

The underlying idea, “Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas,” is still completely accurate. If you do business with a company whose entire business plan is, “Let’s make an end run around the laws all over the world,” then don’t be surprised when they end up not having your best interests at heart, either.

(It’s a Ponzi scheme because they lose $0.25 on every $1 they take in, and they’re in an indefensible market — but also because a plan based on “Let’s encourage individual cars, nearly all gasoline-powered, for transportation,” is stealing from our collective future as human beings.)