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So if supported allegations of rampant corporate sexism and sexual harassment[1][2], legally suspect actions during corporate events[3], the "Greyball" toolkit[

by Mtinie 9y ago

So if supported allegations of rampant corporate sexism and sexual harassment[1][2], legally suspect actions during corporate events[3], the "Greyball" toolkit[4], departure of at least seven high-level executives in recent months[5], a tone-deaf and self-aggravating CEO[6], financial analysts pointing out the massive scope of investor subsidies and lack of profit opportunities[7], and questionable classifications of their own (unacknowledged) employees[8][9], not to mention a history of all sorts of other anti-competitive and marginally legal activities[10], aren't enough to sway you to stop using Uber, what will? --- [1] https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-one-very-strange-year-at-uber https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-on... [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/technology/uber-workplace-culture.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/technology/uber-workplace... [3] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/technology/uber-workplace-culture.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/technology/uber-workplace... [4] http://uk.businessinsider.com/uber-greyball-app-vtos-authorities-2017-3 http://uk.businessinsider.com/uber-greyball-app-vtos-authori... [5] http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-in-crisis-timeline-2017-3 http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-in-crisis-timeline-2017-... [6] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-28/in-video-uber-ceo-argues-with-driver-over-falling-fares https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-28/in-video-... [7] http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2016/11/can-uber-ever-deliver-part-one-understanding-ubers-bleak-operating-economics.html http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2016/11/can-uber-ever-deliver... [8] http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/11/technology/uber-lawsuits/ http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/11/technology/uber-lawsuits/ [9] http://www.govtech.com/applications/uber-bans-drivers-from-class-action-lawsuit-participation.html http://www.govtech.com/applications/uber-bans-drivers-from-c... [10] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/13/uber-lawsuits-619-million-ride-hailing-app https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/13/uber-laws...

MichaelGG 9y ago
For me, it was the redesign. Travis talking about how picking a corporate colour scheme was a "process of self discovery" was just too much SV nonsense. Atoms and Bits indeed. Also didn't help they ran a big article about leaving Postgres because they couldn't assume their engineers understand DB transactions. Their example, IIRC, was a dev sending an email inside of a DB transaction and not knowing this would consume resources and cause contention. Normalising that kind of incompetency isn't positive. But hey, in Guatemala I've got no alternative and Uber works great and is far safer than a taxi, so hey...
- Mtinie 9y ago
  > But hey, in Guatemala I've got no alternative and Uber works great and is far safer than a taxi, so hey... No local upstart competitors that are worth supporting?
  - MichaelGG 9y ago
    Not that I've heard about. A local taxi company has an app that doesn't install properly and won't respond to emails about it. But they are running huge ads talking about how they're so "friendly" and "trusted". At the same time, the taxi drivers are threatening violence if the government doesn't boot Uber. Uber in Guatemala actually visits the drivers' houses, in addition to requiring police backgrounds on them and so on. It's far safer. The prices are far lower, too. Drivers make more than they'd make working in a call center, where unskilled English speakers can make $600-$700. It's also providing some investment opportunities. Use Uber's fleet management system to buy a bunch of cars and rent them out to drivers that don't own their own car. On the whole, Uber, in Guatemala, seems entirely positive.
    - Mtinie 9y ago
      In that case, I hope that Uber in Guatemala is run as a subsidiary that survives should it's corporate parent cease to exist.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
amyjess 9y ago
Susan Fowler's blog post was what caused me to go from freely alternating between Uber and Lyft (and slightly favoring Uber because Lyft encourages Waze, and I refuse to ride in a car with Waze running) to using Lyft 95% of the time and only using Uber when Lyft is in a surge and I need to leave now.
- OriginalPenguin 9y ago
  Okay, I'll bite. Why do you refuse to ride in a car with Waze running?

by Mtinie 9y ago

MichaelGG 9y ago

For me, it was the redesign. Travis talking about how picking a corporate colour scheme was a "process of self discovery" was just too much SV nonsense. Atoms and Bits indeed. Also didn't help they ran a big article about leaving Postgres because they couldn't assume their engineers understand DB transactions. Their example, IIRC, was a dev sending an email inside of a DB transaction and not knowing this would consume resources and cause contention. Normalising that kind of incompetency isn't positive. But hey, in Guatemala I've got no alternative and Uber works great and is far safer than a taxi, so hey...

Mtinie 9y ago
> But hey, in Guatemala I've got no alternative and Uber works great and is far safer than a taxi, so hey... No local upstart competitors that are worth supporting?
- MichaelGG 9y ago
  Not that I've heard about. A local taxi company has an app that doesn't install properly and won't respond to emails about it. But they are running huge ads talking about how they're so "friendly" and "trusted". At the same time, the taxi drivers are threatening violence if the government doesn't boot Uber. Uber in Guatemala actually visits the drivers' houses, in addition to requiring police backgrounds on them and so on. It's far safer. The prices are far lower, too. Drivers make more than they'd make working in a call center, where unskilled English speakers can make $600-$700. It's also providing some investment opportunities. Use Uber's fleet management system to buy a bunch of cars and rent them out to drivers that don't own their own car. On the whole, Uber, in Guatemala, seems entirely positive.
  - Mtinie 9y ago
    In that case, I hope that Uber in Guatemala is run as a subsidiary that survives should it's corporate parent cease to exist.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

amyjess 9y ago

Susan Fowler's blog post was what caused me to go from freely alternating between Uber and Lyft (and slightly favoring Uber because Lyft encourages Waze, and I refuse to ride in a car with Waze running) to using Lyft 95% of the time and only using Uber when Lyft is in a surge and I need to leave now.

OriginalPenguin 9y ago
Okay, I'll bite. Why do you refuse to ride in a car with Waze running?