3 ms·

This is a terribly stupid bluff. Nobody is going to march on city hall because they won't relax regulations for the whims of a single, multi-national company.

This is a terribly stupid bluff. Nobody is going to march on city hall because they won't relax regulations for the whims of a single, multi-national company. It seems at least once a week we get another story showing how utterly incompetent the executives in charge of Uber's public image are.

simias 9y ago
Well at this time their "Save Your Uber in London" petition[1] collected nearly 800k signatures. I find it quite baffling because I'm not sure why on earth would I ever petition for a big multinational company known for its shady tactics but here you go. Clearly Uber's executives, or at least their PR department, must be doing something right. [1] https://www.change.org/p/save-your-uber-in-london-saveyouruber https://www.change.org/p/save-your-uber-in-london-saveyourub...
- jk563 9y ago
  My assumption would be that most people aren't aware of the shadiness, or at least the level of it.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- microcolonel 9y ago
  > I find it quite baffling because I'm not sure why on earth would I ever petition for a big multinational company known for its shady tactics but here you go Because you want to use their service, and you want their competitors to be able to play by the same rules. For example, I don't have to have something controversial to say before I defend free speech; I don't have to want to cross any particular private lot before I'd vouch for freedom of movement.
  - s73ver_ 9y ago
    But this whole things started specifically because Uber wasn't playing by the same rules.
- neilwilson 9y ago
  Londoners like their servants, but they don't like paying them a living wage. Big cities get very used to people flocking in and pay little regard to conditions people live in. We are always recreating 1840s Manchester, and still we are surprised every time.
peatmoss 9y ago
Mobilizing their user base is absolutely a tactic that Uber uses / expects to work. It's interesting, even when I was (briefly) working there, I found myself frequently incredulous that there were people internally who genuinely believed that Uber and its mission were akin to some sort of social movement. To be clear, I think there are some good things about mobility alternatives (including Uber), I just find the David-vs-Goliath / we-are-fighting-for-justice viewpoint... odd. EDIT: I should note that the credulous / incredulous divide exists in the general populace. I still find people who, when confronted with the evidence of some of Uber's shadier actions, respond with "Uber has to play tough to compete."

simias 9y ago

Well at this time their "Save Your Uber in London" petition[1] collected nearly 800k signatures. I find it quite baffling because I'm not sure why on earth would I ever petition for a big multinational company known for its shady tactics but here you go. Clearly Uber's executives, or at least their PR department, must be doing something right. [1] https://www.change.org/p/save-your-uber-in-london-saveyouruber https://www.change.org/p/save-your-uber-in-london-saveyourub...

jk563 9y ago
My assumption would be that most people aren't aware of the shadiness, or at least the level of it.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
microcolonel 9y ago
> I find it quite baffling because I'm not sure why on earth would I ever petition for a big multinational company known for its shady tactics but here you go Because you want to use their service, and you want their competitors to be able to play by the same rules. For example, I don't have to have something controversial to say before I defend free speech; I don't have to want to cross any particular private lot before I'd vouch for freedom of movement.
- s73ver_ 9y ago
  But this whole things started specifically because Uber wasn't playing by the same rules.
neilwilson 9y ago
Londoners like their servants, but they don't like paying them a living wage. Big cities get very used to people flocking in and pay little regard to conditions people live in. We are always recreating 1840s Manchester, and still we are surprised every time.

peatmoss 9y ago

Mobilizing their user base is absolutely a tactic that Uber uses / expects to work. It's interesting, even when I was (briefly) working there, I found myself frequently incredulous that there were people internally who genuinely believed that Uber and its mission were akin to some sort of social movement. To be clear, I think there are some good things about mobility alternatives (including Uber), I just find the David-vs-Goliath / we-are-fighting-for-justice viewpoint... odd. EDIT: I should note that the credulous / incredulous divide exists in the general populace. I still find people who, when confronted with the evidence of some of Uber's shadier actions, respond with "Uber has to play tough to compete."