Will you give your house key to a complete stranger?

This video recently posted by Amazon has more dislikes than likes. Top voted comment reads "Was this supposed to be uploaded on April 1st?". That is exactly what I first thought when I saw this video.

(Description below)

For those of you who've not seen it, Amazon has launched a new service called 'Amazon Key' which allows products and services to be delivered 'inside' your house in your absence. The delivery personnel will be able to unlock your house with a digital house key which you would have shared with Amazon. I thought it sounded absurd at first. If so did you, then you may want to continue reading and perhaps change your mind. And don’t worry, I’m not going to even mention the word ‘convenience’.

The first time I heard about Airbnb, I found the idea equally absurd. Inviting complete strangers to your home to live with you or in your absence, or going to a new place and living in a stranger's house, ALL sounded completely scary to me. And yet Airbnb has transformed the hospitality industry. Beside other things, this transformation was led by a network of mutual trust between millions of hosts and guests through reviews. Surprisingly, some of my most memorable experiences during vacations over the last few years have been courtesy of Airbnb.

A similar thought also crossed my mind when I heard about Uber for the first time. Unlike India, in other countries Uber allows anyone with a car and a driver’s licence to drive using their platform. At that time, the idea of getting into a car with a complete stranger sounded absurd. It was not the same as other public transport like taxis or buses which are highly regulated by government. And yet, Uber has transformed the transportation industry. Among other things, the network of mutual trust built between drivers and riders by the billions of ratings exchanged between them led to their success. And today, I don't own a car and rely on Uber for my day to day travel.

In the Amazon Key video, the use-case of a cleaning crew entering a home through Amazon key stood out to me. It struck me that something similar is already prevalent in India and perhaps elsewhere in the world. Millions of working class professionals in big cities leave their keys with their domestic help for cleaning and cooking in their absence. The trust in this case is based on the referral/word of mouth by people in your close proximity. I would argue that Amazon must have deployed much more robust system of vetting their delivery personnel/ service provider. Moreover, in this case the trust is even greater as it is aided by technology such as live view of delivery and encrypted keys. I'm sure Amazon will also build in a review or rating system within this new service. Amazon has already transformed the millennia old way of shopping. Among many other things, this was led by billions of reviews creating a robust network of trust between products and customers. Amazon Key seems to be extending this trust to new frontiers, that of our beloved home.

I wonder what other new frontiers of trust lie ahead?

Across the globe and almost in every culture, every child is taught by their parents "Do not take (or eat) anything from a stranger". While this conventional wisdom holds true throughout our life, here's some food for thought. Imagine, a platform like UberEats or Swiggy, where not just restaurants but anyone could offer a meal from budding chefs to occasional cooks (people like you and I). Billions of reviews and rating exchanged between the cooks and hungry customers would create a network of mutual trust. Imagine, your weekend cooking experiments turning you into an entrepreneur. Imagine the amazing variety of food available ON demand. Would you like to try it? On that thought, would you give your house key to a complete stranger?

I don't think I would mind.