5 ms·

Honestly, as much as I don't like Kalanick and would love a reason to dislike him even more, to some degree I have to side with him on this situation. The foot

by shruubi 10y ago

Honestly, as much as I don't like Kalanick and would love a reason to dislike him even more, to some degree I have to side with him on this situation. The footage with the girls, while incredibly awkward, is nothing more than a flirtatious conversation. Now, fair enough that the driver realises he has the CEO of Uber in his car and wants to talk about his situation as a driver, and I give props to Kalanick for actually taking the time to listen and explain. Did the ending clip not paint Kalanick in the best light? Sure, but keep in mind that in this situation he is a guy in his private life who has been blindsided and accused of ruining this guys life, with, what it seems like from other posts here, lies. If telling the guy he needs to take responsibility for his own choices instead of looking to blame someone else is the worst thing that Kalanick could say to anyone, then there really isn't a story here from my point of view. Also, Bloomberg should really take a good hard look at themselves for posting that video without cutting out the conversation with the women. Posting that section of the video is the kind of disgusting shit that TMZ and other gossip rags would pull.

jzl 10y ago
> Sure, but keep in mind that in this situation he is a guy in his private life who has been blindsided and accused of ruining this guys life, with, what it seems like from other posts here, lies. Oh come on, he's the CEO of Uber and he took an Uber. Probably every single Uber driver in the country if not the world knows who he is. If he doesn't have an expectation of being recognized and asked about the business he should hire non-Uber private cars. This isn't someone tracking him down on the street and sticking a mic in his face. It's completely fair game.
- jimmywanger 10y ago
  > Oh come on, he's the CEO of Uber and he took an Uber. And if he took a Lyft, a private limo, or drove himself, that would be even worse publicity. Right now no matter what he does he'll get people sniping at him, just like on this board. It's a herd mentality where you pick on perceived weakness, and it's always ugly. > Probably every single Uber driver in the country if not the world knows who he is. Does every single McDonald's worker in the world know what the CEO looks like?
  - jzl 10y ago
    > And if he took a Lyft, a private limo, or drove himself, that would be even worse publicity. Right now no matter what he does he'll get people sniping at him, just like on this board. It's a herd mentality where you pick on perceived weakness, and it's always ugly. I'm not saying he shouldn't take Ubers. I'm responding to the comment "he is a guy in his private life who has been blindsided". He should have every expectation that any driver he gets might ask him about the business, even harshly. It's completely fair game. It's his job to deal with it without losing his cool. > Does every single McDonald's worker in the world know what the CEO looks like? The cult of personality around Kalanick is huge, and he is making daily decisions in a volatile industry that directly affect the lives of tens if not hundreds of thousands of drivers. They are very likely to be following his every move in the news. In any case it doesn't matter how many drivers recognize him, all I'm saying is that he should have no expectation of privacy if he takes an Uber. Drivers are very likely to recognize him and should have every right to ask him tough questions.
    - jimmywanger 10y ago
      > He should have every expectation that any driver he gets might ask him about the business, I don't think he's in the public eye that way. The courts take a very specific view on who is or is not in the public eye. Also, he did engage with the driver until the driver got belligerent. Should he have just brushed off the driver with "I don't talk business during off hours?" The driver was not letting this go. > The cult of personality around Kalanick is huge Citation needed. I couldn't pick him out of a lineup, and I use uber daily, just like I couldn't pick the CEO of ATT out of a lineup. Basically, the driver was behaving unprofessionally. If you were a limo driver or a waiter at a nicer restaurant, you get fired if you acknowledge the customer's status or fame at all. That sort of thing is not done and horribly intrusive.
- shruubi 10y ago
  Sure, he is a very public figure in his role as Uber CEO, but to say that he is instantly recognisable by Uber drivers is a little much. As someone who follows a lot of tech news etc this is the first time I've even seen what he looks like. What is more likely is the driver overheard the previous conversation between Kalanick and the two ladies he was with and figured it out from there. Personally, I believe whether you're the janitor or the CEO of a company there are moments in your life which should be considered personal-life rather than "a good time to talk about your company". And no, it isn't someone hunting him down in the street, but taking advantage of a guy, whether a person is a CEO or not, by blindsiding them with questions while they are with company and then sending the recording to a news company in a very TMZ-ish manner, irregardless of whether permission was given for filming, is as good as sticking a mic in his face and in no way is fair game.

by shruubi 10y ago

jzl 10y ago

> Sure, but keep in mind that in this situation he is a guy in his private life who has been blindsided and accused of ruining this guys life, with, what it seems like from other posts here, lies. Oh come on, he's the CEO of Uber and he took an Uber. Probably every single Uber driver in the country if not the world knows who he is. If he doesn't have an expectation of being recognized and asked about the business he should hire non-Uber private cars. This isn't someone tracking him down on the street and sticking a mic in his face. It's completely fair game.

jimmywanger 10y ago
> Oh come on, he's the CEO of Uber and he took an Uber. And if he took a Lyft, a private limo, or drove himself, that would be even worse publicity. Right now no matter what he does he'll get people sniping at him, just like on this board. It's a herd mentality where you pick on perceived weakness, and it's always ugly. > Probably every single Uber driver in the country if not the world knows who he is. Does every single McDonald's worker in the world know what the CEO looks like?
- jzl 10y ago
  > And if he took a Lyft, a private limo, or drove himself, that would be even worse publicity. Right now no matter what he does he'll get people sniping at him, just like on this board. It's a herd mentality where you pick on perceived weakness, and it's always ugly. I'm not saying he shouldn't take Ubers. I'm responding to the comment "he is a guy in his private life who has been blindsided". He should have every expectation that any driver he gets might ask him about the business, even harshly. It's completely fair game. It's his job to deal with it without losing his cool. > Does every single McDonald's worker in the world know what the CEO looks like? The cult of personality around Kalanick is huge, and he is making daily decisions in a volatile industry that directly affect the lives of tens if not hundreds of thousands of drivers. They are very likely to be following his every move in the news. In any case it doesn't matter how many drivers recognize him, all I'm saying is that he should have no expectation of privacy if he takes an Uber. Drivers are very likely to recognize him and should have every right to ask him tough questions.
  - jimmywanger 10y ago
    > He should have every expectation that any driver he gets might ask him about the business, I don't think he's in the public eye that way. The courts take a very specific view on who is or is not in the public eye. Also, he did engage with the driver until the driver got belligerent. Should he have just brushed off the driver with "I don't talk business during off hours?" The driver was not letting this go. > The cult of personality around Kalanick is huge Citation needed. I couldn't pick him out of a lineup, and I use uber daily, just like I couldn't pick the CEO of ATT out of a lineup. Basically, the driver was behaving unprofessionally. If you were a limo driver or a waiter at a nicer restaurant, you get fired if you acknowledge the customer's status or fame at all. That sort of thing is not done and horribly intrusive.
shruubi 10y ago
Sure, he is a very public figure in his role as Uber CEO, but to say that he is instantly recognisable by Uber drivers is a little much. As someone who follows a lot of tech news etc this is the first time I've even seen what he looks like. What is more likely is the driver overheard the previous conversation between Kalanick and the two ladies he was with and figured it out from there. Personally, I believe whether you're the janitor or the CEO of a company there are moments in your life which should be considered personal-life rather than "a good time to talk about your company". And no, it isn't someone hunting him down in the street, but taking advantage of a guy, whether a person is a CEO or not, by blindsiding them with questions while they are with company and then sending the recording to a news company in a very TMZ-ish manner, irregardless of whether permission was given for filming, is as good as sticking a mic in his face and in no way is fair game.