Airbnb Is Good for Lonely People, Says Barry Diller

Airbnb is primarily additive. I don’t think it’s stealing much share from urban hotels. I think it’s serving people who didn’t travel because they were scared, or couldn’t afford it, or use it because it’s an antidote to loneliness. A room in someone’s house is not as valuable as a room at the Helmsley.

IAC’s Barry Diller, whose portfolio includes both Expedia and Match.com, talking to Bloomberg Businessweek

Everyone’s a Critic, and Everyone Is a Publisher: Brad Stone on MacKenzie Bezos on Brad Stone on Jeff Bezos

I’m grateful to MacKenzie and to every other thoughtful reviewer who shares their perspectives on my book and on this remarkable story.

— Bloomberg Businessweek reporter and Jeff Bezos biographer Brad Stone, responding to a one-star review of his new book from MacKenzie Bezos, Jeff Bezos’s wife. MacKenzie Bezos wrote her review of “The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon” on Amazon.com; Stone published his response on Bloomberg’s site.

How Jeff Bezos Crushed Diapers.com So Amazon Could Buy Diapers.com

Tales of ruthlessness in leadership and competition from Bloomberg Businessweek journalist Brad Stone’s new book about Amazon.

Please Don’t Tell George Lucas What You Think About Jar Jar Binks

It was fine before the Internet. But now with the Internet, it’s gotten very vicious and very personal. You just say, ‘Why do I need to do this?’

— George Lucas, still wincing from the reaction to the new “Star Wars” movies, in Bloomberg Businessweek’s story on a $4 billion Lucasfilm/Disney deal

Dish Network’s Charlie Ergen Gets Real: The Full Dive Into Media Interview

A rare hour with one of the most interesting men in media.

Old Yahoo to New Yahoo: Good Luck!

I haven’t met Marissa, but from what I’ve read and heard about her, I suspect she’s an excellent person to lead Yahoo into the next stage.

Former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson, who now heads e-commerce start-up ShopRunner. In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Thompson has little else to say about his brief Yahoo tenure.

Like We Said: Workday Will File for Its IPO This Summer

The Workday IPO engine continues to rev up.

Bloomberg Bizweek: Steve Ballmer a “Monkey Boy” No More

Despite the tough act of following Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer has quietly transformed Microsoft into a different kind of company, at least according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Netflix Killer? Try Netflix Promoter: Amazon Talks Up a Rival Video Service.

Yes, Amazon is promoting its own video service as part of its Kindle Fire plans. And it’s also promoting Netflix. Which makes sense: Reed Hastings has a lot of customers.

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, the New Yorker and Women in Silicon Valley

Well-known New Yorker writer Ken Auletta has taken on Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in the magazine, with a largely glowing profile titled provocatively: “A Woman’s Place: Can Sheryl Sandberg Upend Silicon Valley’s Male-Dominated Culture?” My short answer is: No, she can’t. But good for anyone for trying!