After several complaints and at least one lawsuit resulting from hosts refusing to accept guests because of race or gender, Airbnb announced today that it had hired former Attorney General Eric Holder to help the company reform its anti-discrimination policy. The company had already announced in June that it started a comprehensive anti-discrimination review of the Airbnb platform, led by Laura Murphy, former head of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington D.C., Legislative Office.
“I sincerely believe that this is the greatest challenge we face as a company,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s co-founder and CEO in a blog post announcing Holder’s hiring. “It cuts to the core of who we are and the values that we stand for.”