Today in tech: Airbnb’s horror story

“Consoles today are 40% of the game industry, so what do we really have? We have a new hardware platform, and we’re putting out software every 90 days. Our fastest growing platform is the iPad right now, and that didn’t exist 18 months ago.”
— Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello (TUAW)

* Just a few days after apartment-swapping startup Airbnb snatched up $113 million from investors like Andreessen Horowitz and DST Global comes news of an Airbnb horror story in which a host’s home was ransacked and trashed by a renter. “They smashed a hole through a locked closet door, and found the passport, cash, credit card and grandmother’s jewelry I had hidden inside,” the host said. “They took my camera, my iPod, an old laptop, and my external backup drive filled with photos, journals… my entire life. They found my birth certificate and social security card, which I believe they photocopied – using the printer/copier I kindly left out for my guests’ use.” The startup has since offered to financially compensate the host and help her find new housing. (TechCrunch)

* Book author and Behance Network CEO Scott Belsky argues that Apple (AAPL) COO Tim Cook may be more more important now than Steve Jobs. (Wired UK)

* 20 hot Silicon Valley startupsto watch out for. (Business Insider)

* Google+ traffic has decreased slightly and so has the average length of time users spend on the social network, but at this early stage, that’s probably more indicative of users simply getting used to its features rather a downward trend. (ZDNet)

* Why Facebook might not win over China. (Ad Age)

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