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AirBnB and Uber are both examples of companies that were huge wins for customers/consumers. Just because they flout regulations which are often times outdated a

AirBnB and Uber are both examples of companies that were huge wins for customers/consumers. Just because they flout regulations which are often times outdated and unnecessary (re: protecting inefficient incumbents) doesn't mean they aren't doing what's good for the consumer. I agree though that Robinhood is a different story with potentially harmful consequences for unsophisticated investors looking for a safe/easy investment.

ocdtrekkie 8y ago
The people sexually assaulted, discriminated against because of their skin color or sexuality, and those recorded in their beds without their consent would all presumably disagree that Uber and AirBnB flouting regulations made for huge wins for customers/consumers. EDIT: The fact that these crimes "have happened at hotels/in taxis as well" ignores the fact that they are far more likely in an environment where regulations meant to prevent or reduce them are wholesale ignored.
- freehunter 8y ago
  The people sexually assaulted on the subway, discriminated against because of their skin color or sexuality in taxis, and those recorded in their beds without their consent in hotels would all presumably argue that crimes happen even without SV investment money.
- wool_gather 8y ago
  I don't want to defend either of - Uber/AirBnB's regulatory abitrage - assault, harassment, or illegal discrimination but this is a complete non-sequitur. The laws that they're avoiding have nothing to do with individuals hurting other individuals. And assault, harassment, or illegal discrimination are perfectly possible in the context of a licensed hotel or taxi.
- ceejayoz 8y ago
  I'm no fan of AirBnB, but all of those things have happened at hotels.
- wallawe 8y ago
  It sounds like you're conflating common law with industry regulations. If I'm a fisherman in Florida, and I need to follow regulations for the fishing industry there, they don't have a stipulation that you can't discriminate against certain persons based on age, raced, gender, etc. when you take customers out on expeditions. Why? Because that's covered by United States law. Yes these things happened, and yes they are atrocious but they have nothing to do with the regulatory gray areas that these companies operated in.
- disishhsha 8y ago
  Have you ever talked to a member of a racial minority about discrimination by taxis vs. Uber? Everything I’ve heard is that it’s difficult for a black man to get a cab, and easy to get an Uber. With a centralized platform, people selling rides or lodging actually get recorded when they reject people, which makes it possible to pursue them for discrimination.
TeMPOraL 8y ago
> AirBnB and Uber are both examples of companies that were huge wins for customers/consumers. And for its shareholders, so is a factory dumping heavy metals to the nearby river. And for its customers, so is a slave plantation. You judge businesses by the treatment of all participants of an economic activity, not just the ones giving and receiving money. Uber and AirBnB are examples of companies that shit on society at large to provide better service to some small fraction of it. In a civilized world, there's no place for this, which is why it saddens me deeply that they're still around.
- vamos_davai 8y ago
  I don't think AirBnB nor Uber has caused any physical harm to the surrounding communities.
  - blub 8y ago
    It should be blindingly obvious that the parent post meant social / economic harm. Unless one doesn't want to notice, that is.
ticmasta 8y ago
If I buy a house in a neighbourhood that is zoned single family residential, Am I an "inefficient incumbent" because I expect that over the mid-to-long term it will stay that way? These companies are not democratizing investment, accommodation, tranportation or whatever they are rent seekers that use a combination of technology, business model and rule breaking to extract a portion of every transaction. They explicitly position themselves as 3rd party to the transaction. While the rest of us suckers play by the rules or gasp work to change them, they realize a portion of their advantage by just ignoring them.
- ummonk 8y ago
  >If I buy a house in a neighbourhood that is zoned single family residential, Am I an "inefficient incumbent" because I expect that over the mid-to-long term it will stay that way? Yes, you are. You're trying to freeze your neighborhood in amber, which is most definitely a sign of an inefficient incumbent.
  - TeMPOraL 8y ago
    No, they just bought it with reasonable expectations - expectations, which were priced in the home valuation. If they didn't care about single family aspect, they probably could've found a cheaper house elsewhere. Also, let's not pretend that AirBnB is progress. It's just a third party that encourages people to start illegal hotels, to earn money for themselves at the expense of their neighbours. This is not a case of local owners having opposing interests to society at large; this is a case of a company enabling some people to parasite on the others.
    - therealdrag0 8y ago
      Who's parasitizing? Airbnb has 38 million users. That's a ton of value being provided! Clearly people want options besides classical hotels. Just because some guests aren't respectful or something doesn't mean the service as a whole is bunk.
- wallawe 8y ago

ocdtrekkie 8y ago

The people sexually assaulted, discriminated against because of their skin color or sexuality, and those recorded in their beds without their consent would all presumably disagree that Uber and AirBnB flouting regulations made for huge wins for customers/consumers. EDIT: The fact that these crimes "have happened at hotels/in taxis as well" ignores the fact that they are far more likely in an environment where regulations meant to prevent or reduce them are wholesale ignored.

freehunter 8y ago
The people sexually assaulted on the subway, discriminated against because of their skin color or sexuality in taxis, and those recorded in their beds without their consent in hotels would all presumably argue that crimes happen even without SV investment money.
wool_gather 8y ago
I don't want to defend either of - Uber/AirBnB's regulatory abitrage - assault, harassment, or illegal discrimination but this is a complete non-sequitur. The laws that they're avoiding have nothing to do with individuals hurting other individuals. And assault, harassment, or illegal discrimination are perfectly possible in the context of a licensed hotel or taxi.
ceejayoz 8y ago
I'm no fan of AirBnB, but all of those things have happened at hotels.
wallawe 8y ago
It sounds like you're conflating common law with industry regulations. If I'm a fisherman in Florida, and I need to follow regulations for the fishing industry there, they don't have a stipulation that you can't discriminate against certain persons based on age, raced, gender, etc. when you take customers out on expeditions. Why? Because that's covered by United States law. Yes these things happened, and yes they are atrocious but they have nothing to do with the regulatory gray areas that these companies operated in.
disishhsha 8y ago
Have you ever talked to a member of a racial minority about discrimination by taxis vs. Uber? Everything I’ve heard is that it’s difficult for a black man to get a cab, and easy to get an Uber. With a centralized platform, people selling rides or lodging actually get recorded when they reject people, which makes it possible to pursue them for discrimination.

TeMPOraL 8y ago

> AirBnB and Uber are both examples of companies that were huge wins for customers/consumers. And for its shareholders, so is a factory dumping heavy metals to the nearby river. And for its customers, so is a slave plantation. You judge businesses by the treatment of all participants of an economic activity, not just the ones giving and receiving money. Uber and AirBnB are examples of companies that shit on society at large to provide better service to some small fraction of it. In a civilized world, there's no place for this, which is why it saddens me deeply that they're still around.

vamos_davai 8y ago
I don't think AirBnB nor Uber has caused any physical harm to the surrounding communities.
- blub 8y ago
  It should be blindingly obvious that the parent post meant social / economic harm. Unless one doesn't want to notice, that is.

ticmasta 8y ago

If I buy a house in a neighbourhood that is zoned single family residential, Am I an "inefficient incumbent" because I expect that over the mid-to-long term it will stay that way? These companies are not democratizing investment, accommodation, tranportation or whatever they are rent seekers that use a combination of technology, business model and rule breaking to extract a portion of every transaction. They explicitly position themselves as 3rd party to the transaction. While the rest of us suckers play by the rules or gasp work to change them, they realize a portion of their advantage by just ignoring them.

ummonk 8y ago
>If I buy a house in a neighbourhood that is zoned single family residential, Am I an "inefficient incumbent" because I expect that over the mid-to-long term it will stay that way? Yes, you are. You're trying to freeze your neighborhood in amber, which is most definitely a sign of an inefficient incumbent.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago
  No, they just bought it with reasonable expectations - expectations, which were priced in the home valuation. If they didn't care about single family aspect, they probably could've found a cheaper house elsewhere. Also, let's not pretend that AirBnB is progress. It's just a third party that encourages people to start illegal hotels, to earn money for themselves at the expense of their neighbours. This is not a case of local owners having opposing interests to society at large; this is a case of a company enabling some people to parasite on the others.
  - therealdrag0 8y ago
    Who's parasitizing? Airbnb has 38 million users. That's a ton of value being provided! Clearly people want options besides classical hotels. Just because some guests aren't respectful or something doesn't mean the service as a whole is bunk.
wallawe 8y ago