TRUST AS A SERVICE
(thread)
1/ The main innovation of Uber & Airbnb wasn't to digitalize personal items (cars, rooms) but to make the brandless trustable.
(thread)
1/ The main innovation of Uber & Airbnb wasn't to digitalize personal items (cars, rooms) but to make the brandless trustable.
2/ If 20 years ago I told you we'll be using our phone to get strangers to drive us somewhere in their cars, the most surprising bit would be the part where we trust the strangers.
After all, Craiglist has been there for years. Trust was the problem Airbnb & Uber solved the most
After all, Craiglist has been there for years. Trust was the problem Airbnb & Uber solved the most
3/ Critically, Airbnb and Uber do not sell their brand upon drivers and cars. They sell their brand upon reviews.
The former would incentivize a "minimum cleanliness & niceness" behavior from drivers, and the brand would become a tragedy of the commons.
The former would incentivize a "minimum cleanliness & niceness" behavior from drivers, and the brand would become a tragedy of the commons.
4/ (This thread is not to fully endorse those companies - they have negative consequences too - just to point out a phenomenon.)
5/ When a landlord signs up to Airbnb or a driver to Uber, he's not purchasing access to a market (only); he's purchasing access to a review system that users trust.
6/ I'm not saying that these companies are valuable for that reason only - the userbase, the being the "to-go app", etc. are just as important.
7/ Prediction: the next Google or Facebook will be "trust platforms" - the new alternatives in the help-me-get-to-customers space.
