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>If you feel that law is unjust, then fight it in a court of law. This is bad advice for companies like Uber. The laws were changed far, far quicker with them

>If you feel that law is unjust, then fight it in a court of law. This is bad advice for companies like Uber. The laws were changed far, far quicker with them simply disregarding them than they would have been with them politely asking for them to be changed with the entire global taxi industry against them. It's also a fallacy that breaking the law is always morally reprehensible. Some laws are just stupid.

foldr 9y ago
Is not business advice, it's an ethical imperative.
- ClassyJacket 9y ago
  That doesn't logically follow. The law is not an infallible and perfect representation of ethics. In some cases, to do the right thing ethically, breaking the law is even necessary.
  - foldr 9y ago
    In rare cases, yes. But you obviously can't justify breaking the law on the grounds that you'll make more money that way. Uber is not engaging in genuine acts of civil disobedience. It's trying to make a fast buck regardless of the effect on anyone else. Intent matters.
TeMPOraL 9y ago
> It's also a fallacy that breaking the law is always morally reprehensible. Some laws are just stupid. Does Uber pick the laws to break by their apparent stupidity? Or just by them being inconvenient for their money-making scheme? > The laws were changed far, far quicker with them simply disregarding them than they would have been with them politely asking for them to be changed with the entire global taxi industry against them. Well, sure, just how like I could resolve a conflict with my associate by killing him much faster than it would take me to go through courts. But the very reason for laws to exist is to safeguard the needs of the whole. Just because a law is invonvenient to an individual or an organization, doesn't mean the law is stupid or obsolete.
- cgag 9y ago
  They're stupid because they're inconvenient to almost everyone.
TeMPOraL 9y ago
Past my edit window, so adding as a separate reply: > with them politely asking for them to be changed with the entire global taxi industry against them. The funny thing is, there is no global taxi industry. There never was. It's only a collection of mostly unrelated city-wide operations. The only truly global player on the scene is Uber - and they use the fact they're the only global presence to their advantage, by raising absurd amounts of money from VCs and using it to conquer local markets, one by one.

foldr 9y ago

Is not business advice, it's an ethical imperative.

ClassyJacket 9y ago
That doesn't logically follow. The law is not an infallible and perfect representation of ethics. In some cases, to do the right thing ethically, breaking the law is even necessary.
- foldr 9y ago
  In rare cases, yes. But you obviously can't justify breaking the law on the grounds that you'll make more money that way. Uber is not engaging in genuine acts of civil disobedience. It's trying to make a fast buck regardless of the effect on anyone else. Intent matters.

TeMPOraL 9y ago

> It's also a fallacy that breaking the law is always morally reprehensible. Some laws are just stupid. Does Uber pick the laws to break by their apparent stupidity? Or just by them being inconvenient for their money-making scheme? > The laws were changed far, far quicker with them simply disregarding them than they would have been with them politely asking for them to be changed with the entire global taxi industry against them. Well, sure, just how like I could resolve a conflict with my associate by killing him much faster than it would take me to go through courts. But the very reason for laws to exist is to safeguard the needs of the whole. Just because a law is invonvenient to an individual or an organization, doesn't mean the law is stupid or obsolete.

cgag 9y ago
They're stupid because they're inconvenient to almost everyone.

TeMPOraL 9y ago

Past my edit window, so adding as a separate reply: > with them politely asking for them to be changed with the entire global taxi industry against them. The funny thing is, there is no global taxi industry. There never was. It's only a collection of mostly unrelated city-wide operations. The only truly global player on the scene is Uber - and they use the fact they're the only global presence to their advantage, by raising absurd amounts of money from VCs and using it to conquer local markets, one by one.