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There is something seriously wrong with the mindset of the individual ITL - and the culture of airline staff - when someone as just-minded, good-natured and pri
by jedwhite 16y ago
There is something seriously wrong with the mindset of the individual ITL - and the culture of airline staff - when someone as just-minded, good-natured and principled as Adeo is getting escorted off a plane.
The great irony is that it is Virgin supposed to be disrupting the industry.
[edit disclaimer as this got downvoted. I did Founder Institute with Adeo. He is intellectually fierce, but even when he's ripping a new one in you he's still good-natured. ]
- KevBurnsJr 16y agoIt's probably not as one-sided as you think. Sometimes people just need to vent. When you argue instead of listening, things tend to escalate.
- veemjeem 16y agoYeah well, is it really necessary to arrest someone over an argument? If there were really no laws broken, then it sounds like some distressed worker decided to go on a power trip. Hopefully Virgin America does the right thing and fixes their social media nightmare.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- veemjeem 16y agoI'm sure VA will view it as a nightmare -- how else would you call it if your company name was negatively mentioned in the top tweeted article of the past 2 hours?
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- mkramlich 16y agoHe wasn't arrested. He was escorted off the plane, questioned by the police, and then let go. Arrest is taking you to the police station in a cruiser, mugshot, at least a short time in jail cell, etc.
- diziet 16y agoI think the point of paying for first class is to exclude the possibility of all possible hick-ups before, during, and after the flight.
- KevBurnsJr 16y agoI guess my point is not that the flight attendant was wrong but rather that they're both idiots for getting in an argument over nothing. I don't think it's fair to pass judgment on the company based on the actions of 1 unenlightened steward on a bad day.
- firdaus 16y agoPaying for first class doesn't give you the right to compromise the safety of the flight.
- ynniv 16y agoThat's a surprising number of upvotes. Are people really that scared of electronic interference in flight, or is it a more general sentiment?
- firdaus 16y agoEven if it's harmless, I don't think it's his place to make a decision about whether electronic interference is dangerous to the plane's equipment or not and affect the safety of everyone else on board. The steward on the other hand is completely justified in enforcing/following the airline's (industry?) policy.
- diziet 16y agoI remember flying in the copilot seat with a laptop on my lap in a six seater. I think this was... four weeks ago? Didn't seem to compromise any kind of safety. Do you really think if someone wanted to electronically tamper with the plane they would be as obvious as opening a laptop and working on an email?
- jedwhite 16y agoThe fact he had multiple other passengers from first class not only sticking up for him immediately after, but formally including themselves in the police report, is a strong indication of where right lay here.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- mkramlich 16y agoThe flight staff can't "see into his soul" like you can, however. :) They can only see and interact with his actual behavior as they encounter it. Someone could kiss babies and pet puppies and give millions to charity but then if they are in a situation where they behave like an ass to somebody, they're an ass. In that situation. (Not saying that's exactly the case in the discussed incident, but in general.)
- jedwhite 16y agoMy point is that they don't need to see into his soul. He is always civil in person whatever his intellectual intensity. And as Michael Arrington himself says in the story comments, one of the calmer people you will meet in person. Any theatrics and fireworks are left for when he's presenting on-stage.
- mkramlich 16y ago> He is always civil in person You cannot know that with certainty. What we do know, from his own words, is that once the passengers were told to shut off all electronics devices and stow them away, that he did not do it immediately, and told an attendant he needed to finish writing an email. Look at it from the attendant's perspective, who again, is not psychic. Yes, the attendant may have overreacted, who knows, but nobody knows exactly how he behaved either. We do know that this rule is in effect ostensibly as a safety precaution intended ultimately to preserve the lives of everyone on board. It's a bit like somebody driving an SUV on the highway in traffic, and putting a higher priority on the state of the cellphone conversation they're involved in, rather than the state of play on the highway and neighboring vehicles. Your right to email/cellphone when and where you want ends (or should end) when it begins to intrude on the safety of fellow human beings.
- appleseed 16y agoIt's really surprising to see you describe Adeo as principled. I did the Founder Institute with him last year, and was insulted by him personally and professionally on a weekly basis. As were most people I spoke to. He clearly has good intentions (imho we all do), but treated us all poorly.
- rdl 16y agoAdeo is principled in that he is honest and consistent. He's not an unadulterated cheerleader, and in Founder Institute, the aggressive/pressure inducing techniques (standing up before the room and having Adeo and investors/mentors question your idea) serve a very obvious purpose -- if your first high-pressure experience pitching your idea is in front of a VC, and you fuck up, you are doing it wrong, but it is a lot harder for standing up in front of a room of cheerleaders in training to be an effective simulation. If someone is unwilling to endure high stress situations, that person should just get a job somewhere, vs. being an entrepreneur (and Founder Institute is pretty biased toward whole-business founders, vs. tech people). Calling people fat/ugly/bald/etc. is just a way to try to put them off guard. If you go out drinking with Adeo after Founder Institute, he's definitely a nice guy.