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Would there be any upside to a company like Uber cultivating a reputation like this deliberately? Obnoxiousness seems to be a characteristic quite ingrained int

by Tycho 10y ago

Would there be any upside to a company like Uber cultivating a reputation like this deliberately? Obnoxiousness seems to be a characteristic quite ingrained into elite hacker culture.

technotony 10y ago
Well they are getting a lot of publicity over this, that presumably has some marketing value. Can't imagine that's worth the legal risk, but as Oscar Wilde said "the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about" (I'm not sure this is true myself)
flootch 10y ago
Regarding drivers, I feel there is an upside to the horrible treatment Uber doles out to drivers which is that Uber wants turnover, wants a driver to work for a year or so, and fears long term drivers who might have more of a claim to employment or be more invested in a lawsuit. > Obnoxiousness seems to be a characteristic quite ingrained into elite hacker culture That was not my experience with the elite developers I have known. I find that behavior endemic and distributed like a bell curve throughout society.
- giarc 10y ago
  I live in a city where Uber is just rolling out (Calgary), and I can say new drivers is not something a company would want. Many don't know how to use the GPS, or connect with a customer. Just today I had set a pin to a pick up location. The driver took a wrong turn thinking I was at location X and not location Y. I called him and tried to direct him to where I was. He seemed to get lost, then he just canceled his trip.
- dang 10y ago
  This account has been abusing HN by using it exclusively for political arguments. It has also been posting personal attacks. Neither of those are allowed here, so we've banned it.
trevyn 10y ago
Cultivating a "win at all costs" attitude? Sure, see Oracle.
- carterehsmith 10y ago
  Not clear what "see Oracle" means here. Looking at the numbers... they are quite successful, anyway you slice it. Oracle market cap is $175Bn and their revenue was $37Bn in 2016. Net income $8.9Bn. Also, some growth over last 5 years.
  - Tycho 10y ago
    I didn't take that remark as sarcasm.
M_Grey 10y ago
I'd say not. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13710961 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13710961

by Tycho 10y ago

Would there be any upside to a company like Uber cultivating a reputation like this deliberately? Obnoxiousness seems to be a characteristic quite ingrained into elite hacker culture.

technotony 10y ago

Well they are getting a lot of publicity over this, that presumably has some marketing value. Can't imagine that's worth the legal risk, but as Oscar Wilde said "the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about" (I'm not sure this is true myself)

flootch 10y ago

Regarding drivers, I feel there is an upside to the horrible treatment Uber doles out to drivers which is that Uber wants turnover, wants a driver to work for a year or so, and fears long term drivers who might have more of a claim to employment or be more invested in a lawsuit. > Obnoxiousness seems to be a characteristic quite ingrained into elite hacker culture That was not my experience with the elite developers I have known. I find that behavior endemic and distributed like a bell curve throughout society.

giarc 10y ago
I live in a city where Uber is just rolling out (Calgary), and I can say new drivers is not something a company would want. Many don't know how to use the GPS, or connect with a customer. Just today I had set a pin to a pick up location. The driver took a wrong turn thinking I was at location X and not location Y. I called him and tried to direct him to where I was. He seemed to get lost, then he just canceled his trip.
dang 10y ago
This account has been abusing HN by using it exclusively for political arguments. It has also been posting personal attacks. Neither of those are allowed here, so we've banned it.

trevyn 10y ago

Cultivating a "win at all costs" attitude? Sure, see Oracle.

carterehsmith 10y ago
Not clear what "see Oracle" means here. Looking at the numbers... they are quite successful, anyway you slice it. Oracle market cap is $175Bn and their revenue was $37Bn in 2016. Net income $8.9Bn. Also, some growth over last 5 years.
- Tycho 10y ago
  I didn't take that remark as sarcasm.

M_Grey 10y ago

I'd say not. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13710961 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13710961