Bad Sign for Astro Poets After Announcing Airbnb Partnership

Up today at Wired, Paris Martineau writes about the backlash leveled against the Astro Poets for a partnership they announced on October 24th with Airbnb. Some background:

On October 24, Astro Poets announced a partnership with Airbnb writing “travel horoscopes” for their followers. It seemed like run-of-the-mill sponcon: The poets recommended the most astrologically fitting cities—and specific Airbnb rentals—for wannabe travelers based on their zodiac signs. They posted short wanderlust-themed horoscopes to Twitter, along with a link to a more detailed list of sponsored recommendations in an Airbnb press release.

Though the post was largely innocuous—and seemingly on-brand—the reaction from fans was swift and brutal. Followers quickly descended upon the tweet in a fury, accusing the astrology duo of supporting unfair rental practices, displacing minority groups, and companies that disregard local laws in the name of profit, among many other things, referencing popular criticisms of Airbnb’s business practices and their effects on cities. The outrage engulfed the announcement and then some, growing from hundreds of angry replies to bona fide trend within the astrology community.

Following the outrage, the Astro Poets responded. More:

After days of growing criticism from fans and others in the astrology community, Astro Poets issued a statement late Monday evening: “In light of the recent conversation, we've made a donation to The Brooklyn Anti-Gentrification Network,” they said on Twitter. But that didn’t quell their followers’ rage. In response to queries criticizing them for failing to denounce their “partnership” with Airbnb, Astro Poets said they didn’t “have an ongoing partnership or sponsorship with Airbnb, it was a one-off content piece; the proceeds from our collaboration with Airbnb Experiences also went to The Creators Collective, a Brooklyn nonprofit we chose.”

There's more to the story at Wired. Read on!