>A lot of tech companies, including AirBnB operate by passing risk / responsibility off onto everyone else (the host, the customer) and thus saving AirBnB a great deal of time / money.

That's what I've never understood. When uber got big, their argument was "we're not a cab company, so we don't have to work under the same regulations". Yes you are. You use an app instead of a radio dispatch. That's the difference between you and a 1980's cab company.

The entire middle of the country is getting wise to "we're not x" just means "we certainly are x but we're avoiding the liability because technology" and they're getting sick of it.