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*We are subject to regulatory inquiries, litigation, and other disputes,
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which have materially adversely affected and could materially adversely
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affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.*
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We have been, and expect to continue to be, a party to various legal and
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regulatory claims, litigation or pre-litigation disputes, and
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proceedings arising in the normal course of business. The number and
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significance of these claims, disputes, and proceedings have increased
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as our company has grown larger, the number of bookings on our platform
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has increased, there is increased brand awareness, and the scope and
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complexity of our business have expanded, and we expect they will
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continue to increase.
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We have been, and expect to continue to be, subject to various
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government inquiries, investigations, audits, and proceedings related to
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legal and regulatory requirements such as compliance with laws related
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to short-term rentals, long-term rentals, and home sharing, tax,
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escheatment, consumer protection, pricing and currency display,
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advertising, discrimination, data sharing, payment processing, data
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privacy, data security, cancellation policies, and competition. In many
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cases, these inquiries, investigations, and proceedings can be complex,
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time consuming, costly to investigate, and require significant company
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and also management attention. For certain matters, we are implementing
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recommended changes to our products, operations, and compliance
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practices, including enabling tax collection, tax reporting, display of
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Host registration numbers, and removal of noncompliant listings. We are
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unable to predict the outcomes and implications of such inquiries,
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investigations, and proceedings on our business, and such inquiries,
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investigations, and proceedings could result in damages, large fines and
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penalties, and require changes to our products and operations, and
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materially adversely affect our brand, reputation, business, results of
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operations, and financial condition. In some instances, applicable laws
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and regulations do not yet exist or are being adopted and implemented to
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address certain aspects of our business, and such adoption or change in
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their interpretation could further alter or impact our business and
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subject us to future government inquiries, investigations, and
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proceedings.
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We have been involved in litigation with national governments, trade
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associations and industry bodies, municipalities, and other government
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authorities, including as a plaintiff and as a defendant, concerning
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laws seeking to limit or outlaw short-term and long-term rentals and to
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impose obligations or liability on us as a platform. In the United
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States, we have been involved in various lawsuits concerning whether our
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platform is responsible for alleged wrongful conduct by Hosts who engage
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in short-term rentals. Claims in such cases have alleged illegal hotel
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conversions, real estate license requirements, violations of municipal
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law around short-term occupancy or rentals, unlawful evictions, or
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violations of lease provisions or homeowners'association rules. Legal
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claims have been asserted for alleged discriminatory conduct undertaken
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by Hosts against certain guests, and for our own platform policies or
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business practices. Changes to the interpretation of the applicability
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of fair housing, civil rights, or other statutes to our business or the
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conduct of our users could materially adversely impact our business,
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results of operations, and financial condition. We may also become more
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vulnerable to third-party claims as U.S. laws such as the Digital
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Millennium Copyright Act ("MCA", the Stored Communications Act, and the
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Communications Decency Act ("DA", and non-U.S. laws such as the DSA and
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the European E-Commerce Directive and its national transpositions are
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interpreted by the courts or otherwise modified or amended, as our
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platform and services to our Hosts and guests continue to expand, and as
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we expand geographically into jurisdictions where the underlying laws
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with respect to the potential liability of online intermediaries such as
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ourselves are either unclear or less favorable.
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In addition, we face claims and litigation relating to fatalities,
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shootings, other violent acts, illness (including COVID-19),
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cancellations and refunds, personal injuries, property damage, carbon
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monoxide incidents, hidden camera incidents, and privacy violations that
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occurred at listings or experiences during a booking made on our
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platform. We also have had putative class action litigation and
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government inquiries, and could face additional litigation and
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government inquiries and fines relating to our business practices,
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cancellations, and other consequences due to natural disasters or other
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unforeseen events beyond our control such as wars, regional hostilities,
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health concerns, including epidemics and pandemics such as COVID-19, or
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law enforcement demands, and other regulatory actions.
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Notwithstanding the decision of the Court of Justice of the European
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Union ("JEU" on December 19, 2019 ruling that Airbnb is a provider of
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information society services under the E-Commerce Directive, there
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continue to be new laws and government initiatives within the European
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Union attempting to regulate Airbnb as a platform. In several cases,
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national courts are evaluating whether certain local rules imposing
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obligations on platforms can be enforced against us. For example, we are
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challenging laws in various European jurisdictions requiring short-term
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rental platforms to act as withholding tax agent for Host income taxes,
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to collect and remit tourist taxes, and to disclose user data. Adverse
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rulings in these national cases are possible and could result in changes
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to our business practices in significant ways, increased operating and
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compliance costs, and lead to a loss of revenue for us. In addition, the
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DSA came into force in November 2022, and amends certain aspects of the
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E-Commerce Directive to enhance the rules that apply to platforms.
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In addition, in the ordinary course of business, disputes may arise
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because we are alleged to have infringed third parties'intellectual
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