4 ms·

Hard to prove a counterfactual, so it could also very well be the case that they are successful in spite of these failings, not because of these failings.

endorphone 9y ago
The very foundation of the company that we are discussing is something that was illegal in virtually every jurisdiction that they entered. There is a very legitimate argument to be made that it was a very large scale criminal enterprise. We know that this reality impacted much of their operations, including high level active evasion of authorities. It isn't terribly surprising that traditional corporate norms weren't strictly followed in their operations or behaviors. This is true whether we believe their actions were ultimately for the public good or to bring regulations forward.
- zzalpha 9y ago
  The very foundation of the company that we are discussing is something that was illegal in virtually every jurisdiction that they entered. I think this is rewriting history just a bit. My recollection is that, when Uber first entered the marketplace in various locations, it was largely a gray area as to whether their business was legal. Since then regulations have changed, been clarified, or been litigated in courts to clarify their legal meaning... and Uber then proceeded to ignore those laws and do whatever the hell they wanted to. But my view is that that culture, of simply ignoring laws it saw as inconvenient, came a bit later, after they started to become successful and viewed themselves as essentially above the law.
  - endorphone 9y ago
    >I think this is rewriting history just a bit. https://techcrunch.com/2011/05/25/uber-airbnb-jail-time/ https://techcrunch.com/2011/05/25/uber-airbnb-jail-time/ Uber was an illegal taxi service in every jurisdiction they entered that I am aware of. This wasn't really gray. It was remarkable the restraint jurisdictions showed, I suspect because there was a sense that if they clamped down they didn't "get it".
    - zzalpha 9y ago
      By that point Uber had already been operating for 2 years. I'm questioning whether they launched knowing full well they were shirking the law, or if they launched, realized they were in legal trouble, and then proceeded to not give a sh*t. :)
      - bjl 9y ago
        It should have been obvious to anyone with a modicum of sense that operating an unlicensed taxi service was illegal.
        zzalpha 9y ago
        Judging by the emailed cited in the article, I no longer assume what is and isn't obvious to the founders of Uber, and I certainly don't assume they have even a modicum of sense... ;)

endorphone 9y ago

The very foundation of the company that we are discussing is something that was illegal in virtually every jurisdiction that they entered. There is a very legitimate argument to be made that it was a very large scale criminal enterprise. We know that this reality impacted much of their operations, including high level active evasion of authorities. It isn't terribly surprising that traditional corporate norms weren't strictly followed in their operations or behaviors. This is true whether we believe their actions were ultimately for the public good or to bring regulations forward.

zzalpha 9y ago
The very foundation of the company that we are discussing is something that was illegal in virtually every jurisdiction that they entered. I think this is rewriting history just a bit. My recollection is that, when Uber first entered the marketplace in various locations, it was largely a gray area as to whether their business was legal. Since then regulations have changed, been clarified, or been litigated in courts to clarify their legal meaning... and Uber then proceeded to ignore those laws and do whatever the hell they wanted to. But my view is that that culture, of simply ignoring laws it saw as inconvenient, came a bit later, after they started to become successful and viewed themselves as essentially above the law.
- endorphone 9y ago
  >I think this is rewriting history just a bit. https://techcrunch.com/2011/05/25/uber-airbnb-jail-time/ https://techcrunch.com/2011/05/25/uber-airbnb-jail-time/ Uber was an illegal taxi service in every jurisdiction they entered that I am aware of. This wasn't really gray. It was remarkable the restraint jurisdictions showed, I suspect because there was a sense that if they clamped down they didn't "get it".
  - zzalpha 9y ago
    By that point Uber had already been operating for 2 years. I'm questioning whether they launched knowing full well they were shirking the law, or if they launched, realized they were in legal trouble, and then proceeded to not give a sh*t. :)
    - bjl 9y ago
      It should have been obvious to anyone with a modicum of sense that operating an unlicensed taxi service was illegal.
      - zzalpha 9y ago
        Judging by the emailed cited in the article, I no longer assume what is and isn't obvious to the founders of Uber, and I certainly don't assume they have even a modicum of sense... ;)