3 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
How will Trump's ban on Chinese students work out? Just look at Airbnb for the answer
As a former global chief marketing officer, I spent much of my life and career working across borders. Now, I teach at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and use my real-world experience to help my students understand how global companies succeed — or fail — abroad.
Many have rightly called out the short-sighted, damaging and, frankly, un-American nature of the recent decision by the Trump administration to revoke Chinese student visas. Less understood is the damage this move will do not just to students, but to American competitiveness.
In my classes, I discuss how Airbnb worked hard to enter the market, how founder Brian Chesky himself spearheaded its foray with strategic investors and took a Chinese name.
But it wasn't enough.
The cultural obstacles — questions about payment, privacy and trust — ran deeper than expected. Despite persevering through the COVID-19 pandemic, Airbnb pulled out of China in 2022.
My students know Airbnb. Many hope to work there. So, the lessons of this failure matter.
To learn from Airbnb's experience in China, I have my students analyze the case and share their insights with classmates. Sometimes they visit with industry leaders as part of this assignment.
One of my students from China took it a step further.
He reached out to hospitality executives back home, gathering firsthand accounts of what Airbnb missed. His presentation included real-world context, cultural insights and compelling quotes that had the entire room — including our guest, Hyatt's former head of Asia operations — leaning in. Afterward, she turned to the student and said, 'You should send this to Airbnb. You might just get hired.'
This is what education is supposed to do. Create a space where smart, driven students from around the world learn from each other — and make each other better. When we deny some of those students, we don't just punish them. We rob our own students of learning, our businesses of future talent, and our country of its global edge.
It's not just about full tuition (though many Chinese students pay it). It's about full participation. These students help U.S. companies understand how to enter markets, understand cultures, adapt products and services, and avoid billion-dollar missteps. They go on to join U.S. firms, shape global strategy, and drive innovation.
And yet, this presidential administration would rather play politics with student visas than recognize what's at stake. The loss is ours. It hits American universities and businesses where it hurts. Our ideas won't be challenged — and improved — by global conversations. Our companies will be outpaced in Asia and beyond.
We can't afford to lose the next generation of global thinkers, collaborators and leaders. We need them in our classrooms, on our teams and in our companies.
In sending Chinese students home, we're not protecting America — we're isolating it.
Katherine Melchior Ray lectures at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and is a former global marketing executive. She is the author of the forthcoming book 'Brand Global, Adapt Local: How to Build Brand Value Across Cultures.'
