布瑞恩?切斯基和萊斯特?霍爾特是這條街上最干凈的生靈。他們身上的牛津衫整潔如新，在熱浪中閃閃發(fā)光。兩人正沿著一條破爛的哈瓦那人行道散步，空氣中彌漫著海洋空氣和汽油混雜在一起的味道。切斯基是房屋共享初創(chuàng)公司Airbnb聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官，霍爾特則是NBC電視臺主播。圍繞在他們周圍的一切，無論是1957年版的雪佛蘭Bel Airs轎車，自行人力車，還是幾只在泥土中翻滾，拉屎的流浪狗，都覆蓋著一層灰塵。在其他任何地方，如果一個攝制組追拍兩位看上去屬于游艇階層的精英人士，那恐怕會招致一大群圍觀者。但那些從窗子探出身子，或者倚靠在門旁的古巴男女們，似乎沒有注意到這一幕。在街區(qū)的那一邊，有個人正在播放勁爆的舞曲。

切斯基提醒霍爾特的攝制組，要拍下在幾戶房屋前展示的顛倒的錨標識?！斑@些都是Airbnb的房屋?！彼f。從性質(zhì)上講，它們?nèi)詫儆凇八饺俗≌?casas particulares)，是古巴房屋租賃網(wǎng)絡的組成部分，由此成為潛在的Airbnb房源。但這些現(xiàn)成的房源，外加早已到位的監(jiān)管法規(guī)、登記系統(tǒng)和稅收政策，使得Airbnb很容易在2015年美國放松旅游限制之際，啟動其古巴業(yè)務。古巴估計有2萬套私宅，其中大約4000套已經(jīng)與Airbnb簽約，1.3萬名美國游客早早地預定了這些房屋，從而使得古巴成為Airbnb啟動以來增長最快的市場。

Brian Chesky and Lester Holt are the cleanest things on this street. Their crisp oxford shirts gleam in the heat as they stroll along a crumbling Havana sidewalk, the smell of gasoline mingling with ocean air. Everything surrounding Chesky, the CEO and co-founder of home-sharing startup Airbnb, and Holt, an NBC anchor, is covered in a layer of dust-—the ’57 Chevy Bel Airs, the frankensteined bicycle rickshaws, the stray dogs rolling in mud or poop. Anywhere else, a camera crew following two guys that look like they belong on a yacht might draw a crowd of onlookers. But the Cuban men and women leaning out of their windows and doors barely acknowledge the action. Down the block, someone is blasting dance music.

Chesky alerts Holt’s camera crew to the upside-down anchor symbols displayed in front of several homes. “All of these are Airbnbs,” he says. Technically they are casas particulares, part of Cuba’s home-rental network, which makes them potential Airbnbs. But the casas’ ready-made supply, with regulations, registries, and taxes in place, made it easy for Airbnb to launch in Cuba when the U.S. loosened its travel restrictions in 2015. About 4,000 of Cuba’s estimated 20,000 casas particulares have signed up with Airbnb, and 13,000 Americans have booked rooms—making Cuba the fastest-growing market Airbnb has ever launched.

當然，在古巴，你只能從相對意義上來理解“容易”和“快速”這類詞匯。美國長達56年的對古巴貿(mào)易禁運給Airbnb帶來了障礙。值得指出的是，大多數(shù)古巴人無法直接上網(wǎng)，也沒有途徑來接受一家美國公司的付款。（不要忘記，古巴的自來水、食物和交通都極其不可靠，特別是當日益增多的美國游客讓這個島國有限的資源更加捉襟見肘的時候。）

古巴擁有1100萬人口，每年只有350萬游客。對于Airbnb來說，與巴西或墨西哥等國家相比，古巴是一個小得多的市場機會。但Airbnb的承諾是，你可以去任何地方——呃，從嚴格意義上說，不是世界上所有地方（比如，克里米亞、伊朗、蘇丹、敘利亞和朝鮮就不包括在內(nèi)），但非常接近——享受賓至如歸的感覺。所以，這家公司已將古巴作為一個優(yōu)先開發(fā)的市場，并設法越過法律和旅游簽證方面的重重關卡，建立旨在克服網(wǎng)絡接入難題的軟件，最終將古巴私宅的房主們攬入Airbnb的懷抱。

這個決定最終帶來一場無與倫比的公關勝利。切斯基在今年春天訪問古巴之際，恰逢奧巴馬總統(tǒng)對該國展開歷史性訪問；在那里，總統(tǒng)大肆吹噓Airbnb的255億美元估值，并稱贊切斯基是美國“杰出的年輕企業(yè)家之一”。這一時刻與Airbnb在美國本土陷入的監(jiān)管戰(zhàn)爭形成鮮明對比：紐約州總檢察長聲稱，在紐約市的Airbnb房源中，有多達四分之三是非法的，舊金山已經(jīng)對Airbnb開征新稅，并敦促其關閉非住宅類房源。

但在古巴，Airbnb需要繞過很多溫暖的模糊地帶。在整個行程中，切斯基一直將古巴主人和美國客人之間的互動稱為“民間外交”。這種敘述使得Airbnb游客可以輕松地遵守美國“民間”教育旅行簽證的要求。

Of course, “easy” and “fast” are relative terms in Cuba. The strict Communist regime and 56 years of a U.S. trade embargo have created obstacles for Airbnb, notably that most Cubans don’t have direct Internet access or a way to accept payments from an American company. (Never mind that access to running water, food, and transportation can be unreliable, especially as increased tourism from the U.S. strains the island’s limited resources.)

With 11 million people and just 3.5 million visitors a year, Cuba is a much smaller opportunity for Airbnb than, say, Brazil or Mexico. But Airbnb’s promise is that you can go anywhere—well, not anywhere anywhere (Crimea, Iran, Sudan, Syria, and North Korea are out), but close—and feel at home. So the company has made Cuba a priority, jumping through legal and travel-visa hoops, building software work-arounds for web access, and bringing casas particulares owners into the Airbnb fold.

The decision has been a public relations victory. Chesky’s trip to Cuba this spring coincides with President Obama’s historic visit; there, the President brags about Airbnb’s $25.5 billion valuation and calls Chesky one of America’s “outstanding young entrepreneurs.” The moment stands in contrast to Airbnb’s home-turf regulatory battles: New York’s attorney general has said three-quarters of its New York City listings are illegal, while San Francisco has pinched Airbnb with new taxes and pressure to shutter nonresidential listings.

But in Cuba there are plenty of warm fuzzies to go around. Throughout the trip, Chesky describes interactions between Cuban hosts and American guests as “person-to-person diplomacy.” That narrative allows Airbnb travelers to handily comply with the U.S.’s “people-to-people” educational travel visa requirement.

Airbnb正在幫助古巴人成為小企業(yè)家：房東每出租一次房屋，平均可賺得250美元。對于人均月收入僅為23美元的古巴人來說，這是一個極具意義的數(shù)字。

這一部分完美地契合奧巴馬總統(tǒng)向古巴人民宣揚的美國夢。在一家啤酒釀造廠，他對一群古巴企業(yè)家和商界人士說，“正如我們在美國所看到的那樣，一些出身卑微的企業(yè)（有的甚至誕生自一間車庫）也有機會成為世界上最成功的公司?！?

切斯基最喜歡這個國家的地方在于，它是如此真實?！八悄阆胂蟮哪??！碑斔诠吣怯斡[一些油漆脫落的殖民時代建筑時，這位Airbnb首席執(zhí)行官如是驚嘆道?！懊慨斈憧吹揭粋€地方的圖片，然后實地游覽，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)，它根本就不是圖片中的樣子，或者只有一條街道看上去跟圖片類似。”

真實性，恰恰是Airbnb最看重的東西。切斯基憎恨大眾旅游——時代廣場、麥當勞和阿甘蝦餐廳是他最喜歡引用的例子。在他看來，Airbnb的200萬套房源可以讓旅游者避免掉入坑人的陷阱?！拔覀兿Ｍo你創(chuàng)造一種仿佛居住在社區(qū)的感覺，哪怕只是小住幾天。”他說。為了反映這種觀點，他還特意對Airbnb的網(wǎng)站進行了一些細微的修改。比如，他把一個注冊按鈕上的措辭從“列出你的房源”改為“成為一位房東?！北局?，該公司推出了一個名為“住在那里”(Live There)的新舉措，它將提供由房東親手創(chuàng)建的城市指南。切斯基表示，那些僅僅將Airbnb描述為一種租房方式的文章，確實搞錯了?！拔覀儚氖碌模且豁椷h比這種說法更加深刻的事業(yè)?！彼f。

我問切斯基，有沒有人把他稱為嬉皮士。他說自己也許有一點這種特質(zhì)，并提醒我說，他從事這行真的不是為了賺得億萬身家。我問他，金錢是否腐蝕了Airbnb的利他使命。他迅速駁斥了這種看法，并建議我聆聽他的創(chuàng)業(yè)伙伴發(fā)表的一篇題為“帶有同情心的商業(yè)”的TED演講。后來，在一個匯聚當?shù)谹irbnb房東的聚會上，我確實聽到有人稱他是嬉皮士。

一如我在無數(shù)次訪問古巴私人住宅期間的親身感受，一旦你置身現(xiàn)場，你很難駁斥Airbnb的理想主義情懷。幾乎每位房東都會熱情洋溢地談論他們經(jīng)歷的轉(zhuǎn)變。在約雷蒂和奧克塔維奧夫婦的公寓，切斯基給一面墻貼上Airbnb的標志，一個三角形的環(huán)狀飾物。

“我太激動了?！碑斍兴够谒业膲Ρ谏狭粞詴r，女主人約雷蒂無法自持?！拔乙蘖耍　焙髞?，她將切斯基的留言照片上傳至她的Airbnb房源簡介。

And Airbnb is helping Cubans become mini-entrepreneurs: The average host makes $250 per booking, a meaningful sum when the average Cuban salary is $23 a month.

That part fits neatly into the President’s promotion of the American Dream to the Cuban people. “As we’ve seen in America, businesses that start small—even in a garage—can grow into some of the world’s most successful companies,” the President says to a beer brewery full of Cuban entrepreneurs and business people.

What Chesky loves most about the country, he says, is that it’s so authentic. “This is exactly what you’d think it is,” he marvels as he takes in Havana’s paint-chipped colonial buildings. “Whenever you see a picture of a place and then you actually go there, it never looks like the picture, or only one street looks like that.”

Authenticity is Airbnb’s thing. Chesky hates mass tourism—Times Square, McDonald’s , and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. are his favorite examples—and sees Airbnb’s 2 million listings as a sort of anti–tourist trap. “We’re about allowing you to feel like you live in a community, even if it’s just for a few days,” he says. He’s made subtle revisions to Airbnb’s site to reflect that view, like changing the wording on a sign-up button from “List your space” to “Become a host.” This week the company introduced a new initiative called “Live There,” which will provide city guides created by its hosts. Articles that describe Airbnb as just a way to rent a room get it wrong, he says: “It’s about something much deeper.”

I ask if anyone has ever called Chesky a hippie. Maybe a little bit, he says, reminding me that he didn’t get into this business to get rich. When I ask whether money taints Airbnb’s altruistic mission, he dismisses the idea and directs me to his co-founder’s TED Talk about “commerce with compassion.” Later, at a party for local Airbnb hosts, I overhear him brag that someone just called him a hippie.

It’s hard to dismiss Airbnb’s idealism once you see it in action, as I do during numerous visits to casas particulares. Almost across the board, the hosts are effusive about the transformations they’re going through. At the apartment of Yuleidi and Octavio, Chesky tags a wall with Airbnb’s logo, a triangular loop that the company has christened “Bélo” and is meant to be a sort of hobo code for “universal belonging.” (The logo caught some ridicule when it was introduced in 2014, inspiring headlines like, “Is it balls, vagina or both?”

“I have goose bumps,” Yuleidi gushes as Chesky scrawls on her wall. “I’m going to cry!” Later, she uploads a photo of his message to her Airbnb listing.

我們遇到的下一位房東真的哭了。在她的殖民時代聯(lián)排別墅，前刑事律師雷薩坐在一張明藍色天鵝絨沙發(fā)上解釋說，成為一位Airbnb房東讓她得以保留這棟她本打算出售的房屋，并養(yǎng)育她的孩子們。只有一個問題：她不得不拒絕來自非美國人的預訂請求，因為在古巴，Airbnb只對美國人開放。

切斯基通過一位翻譯告訴雷薩，這條規(guī)則即將改變。聽聞這一消息，雷薩頓時激動萬分?！疤袅?！我太高興了！”喜悅的淚水模糊了她的臉龐。Airbnb的公關代表也熱淚盈眶。有人遞給雷薩一張紙巾。她說，Airbnb已經(jīng)賦予她一種強大的力量，好像為她打開了一本原本藏匿在某個角落的書。

“哇，這真是令人難以置信?！鼻兴够f。但令他深受觸動的，是另一件事：他念茲在茲的是雷薩拒絕的那些預訂請求?！拔疫€一直納悶為什么轉(zhuǎn)換率這么低呢?！彼f。

在整個談話期間，切斯基不停地在自己的手機上記錄著什么。他后來在奧巴馬的企業(yè)家峰會上、在白宮記者團的通報會上，在電視采訪中頻頻提及雷薩的眼淚?；蛟S很難判斷這場公共活動終于何處，Airbnb的使命始于何處，但在某種程度上，這并不重要。這家公司點燃了房東們的熱情，因為Airbnb已經(jīng)對他們的生活產(chǎn)生了重大影響。我特別好奇的是，Airbnb是否也給房東們分發(fā)了一份跟我們這些隨訪記者完全相同的采訪腳本。切斯基說，這絕無可能。“他們說的比腳本還動人！” （財富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：Kevin

The next host we meet actually does cry. Sitting on a bright blue velvet couch in her colonial townhouse, Reysa, a former criminal lawyer, explains that becoming an Airbnb host has allowed her to keep her home—she was about to sell it—and support her children. There’s just one problem: She has to reject booking requests from non-Americans, since in Cuba, Airbnb is open only to Americans.

Chesky tells Reysa, through a translator, that that rule is about to change, and the news overwhelms Reysa. “Qué bien! Muy feliz!” Tears of joy stream down her face, and Airbnb’s PR reps well up too. Someone hands Reysa a tissue. She says Airbnb has empowered her: It’s as if a book was kept in a hidden place, and Airbnb opened it for her.

“Wow,” Chesky says. “This is unbelievable.” Though what’s moving us isn’t what’s moving him; he’s got Reysa’s rejected bookings on his mind. “I was wondering why the conversion rate was so low,” he says.

Throughout the conversation, Chesky takes notes on his phone. He later references Reysa’s tears at Obama’s entrepreneurship summit, at a White House press corps briefing, and in TV interviews. It can be hard to tell where the PR operation ends and Airbnb’s mission begins, but on some level, it doesn’t matter. The company ignites zealous enthusiasm from hosts because it has had a big impact on their lives. I wonder aloud whether Airbnb gives hosts a script for media tours like mine. Chesky says that’s not possible. “What they said is better than the script!”