AirBnB appears to have navigated New York politics in a naive and inexperienced manner. Uber made a similar mistake early on, but graduated to a more sophisticated approach which involved working with local regulations as opposed to trying to bulldoze through them. Announcing that they are refusing to comply with a New York State AG's subpoena, versus more subtly seeking a backdoor face-saving solution, continues AirBnB's streak.

An acquaintance, living in a building whose management was very tolerant of the short-term rental of its units, recently saw a double-digit rent increase. The owner believed, probably correctly, that he was better off leasing his apartment to a series of short-term stayers versus a long-term tenant. Ignoring rental and regulatory volatility, this makes sense.

Point is, the gripes are real. They are also the kinds of social disagreements politics is designed to deal with. Blowing past that will probably backfire, particularly in New York.