4 ms·

Is this one of those “we can’t donate food we are about to throw away because what if we get sued” situations? Could also be a tax write-off!

danielfoster 6y ago
Destroying the bikes would actually also be an equivalent write-off. Since Uber has no profits, it pays no taxes.
- kube-system 6y ago
  Businesses are taxed on many more than things other than profit.
- sushid 6y ago
  It's not that simple. Uber as a company definitely pays taxes at the city, state, and federal level.
- renewiltord 6y ago
  SF has a gross receipts tax, my dude. There are payroll taxes as well.
  - ineedasername 6y ago
    I don't think you can write off expenses against payroll taxes.
raywu 6y ago
There’s a company that helps companies do this for food: https://www.gocopia.com/ https://www.gocopia.com/
- nikanj 6y ago
  How do they protect the restaurants against getting sued?
  - kube-system 6y ago
    From their help page, it looks like a combination of a making recipients sign a waiver, following best practices, and an insurance policy. https://www.gocopia.com/help#business-4 https://www.gocopia.com/help#business-4
SilasX 6y ago
It was one of the cited reasons, yes: >Uber said it had decided to destroy thousands of its older-model vehicles due to maintenance, liability and safety concerns. (At risk of sounding mean or bitter, I was originally planning to post that quote as a top-level comment, but I was like, "come on, that's so short and unhelpful and high in the article, that anyone wondering it would just click the link, right?")
- kristopolous 6y ago
  Groups who donate have had legal protections for years. They're just being Uber.
  - kube-system 6y ago
    Scrap metal and batteries have a positive value.
  - renewiltord 6y ago
    Right, because all the people wanting this would do more than just go silent when the first bike explodes on someone it was donated to. The reality is that it's a PR nightmare. One of them fails and all those advocating donations just instantly fall silent. It's like they were never there. And there'll be a massive furore over how these are being dumped on innocent people who were not properly informed, etc. etc. Oh, I'm not saying you'll be part of the mob. Just that you'll walk away. That's why no one listens to the advocates who have no skin in the game. They are fair weather friends. And then there'll be the lawsuits. And you either win those painfully or you settle (and everyone assumes you did because you're guilty).
    - kristopolous 6y ago
      over 1 million cars, in every condition including unsafe to drive and about to explode, get donated every year. 0 lawsuits. zero. These stories of overly litigious malcontents ruining the do-gooders of the world, it's just that, a story. Donating these electric bikes would have be fine. Uber destroyed them for the same reason that textbook manufacturers and high end fashion destroys their product instead of donating them, because the slightest imagined possibility of a risk to their ego, brand, or margins are more important than a clear and tangible benefit to society. Everything we've heard about uber tells us this is exactly what they'd do, they're assholes. Look at the companies ex-uber people did, they're all asshole companies like Bird or that ex-uber guy that google successfully sued for $179 million for stealing their ip. I've met with uber at work, they strung us along, telling us literally anything, trying to get all the intel they can, but then got pissed off and start yelling at us when we asked for legal paperwork prior to disclosure of business IP. I've seen people played that way before and I always look out for these kind of spy ruses -- last company that I saw do it was GoDaddy. Of course they'll crush the bikes and no, it has nothing to do with fear of lawsuits, they're just jerks like that.
mthoms 6y ago
For the record, absent some kind of serious negligence, there is no risk of any restaurant or grocer being sued for donating food. The US (and elsewhere I'm sure) has Good Samaritan laws to protect the donors. It amazes me how prevalent this myth is. (See my comment elsewhere in this thread for citations)

danielfoster 6y ago

Destroying the bikes would actually also be an equivalent write-off. Since Uber has no profits, it pays no taxes.

kube-system 6y ago
Businesses are taxed on many more than things other than profit.
sushid 6y ago
It's not that simple. Uber as a company definitely pays taxes at the city, state, and federal level.
renewiltord 6y ago
SF has a gross receipts tax, my dude. There are payroll taxes as well.
- ineedasername 6y ago
  I don't think you can write off expenses against payroll taxes.

raywu 6y ago

There’s a company that helps companies do this for food: https://www.gocopia.com/ https://www.gocopia.com/

nikanj 6y ago
How do they protect the restaurants against getting sued?
- kube-system 6y ago
  From their help page, it looks like a combination of a making recipients sign a waiver, following best practices, and an insurance policy. https://www.gocopia.com/help#business-4 https://www.gocopia.com/help#business-4

SilasX 6y ago

It was one of the cited reasons, yes: >Uber said it had decided to destroy thousands of its older-model vehicles due to maintenance, liability and safety concerns. (At risk of sounding mean or bitter, I was originally planning to post that quote as a top-level comment, but I was like, "come on, that's so short and unhelpful and high in the article, that anyone wondering it would just click the link, right?")

kristopolous 6y ago
Groups who donate have had legal protections for years. They're just being Uber.
- kube-system 6y ago
  Scrap metal and batteries have a positive value.
- renewiltord 6y ago
  Right, because all the people wanting this would do more than just go silent when the first bike explodes on someone it was donated to. The reality is that it's a PR nightmare. One of them fails and all those advocating donations just instantly fall silent. It's like they were never there. And there'll be a massive furore over how these are being dumped on innocent people who were not properly informed, etc. etc. Oh, I'm not saying you'll be part of the mob. Just that you'll walk away. That's why no one listens to the advocates who have no skin in the game. They are fair weather friends. And then there'll be the lawsuits. And you either win those painfully or you settle (and everyone assumes you did because you're guilty).
  - kristopolous 6y ago
    over 1 million cars, in every condition including unsafe to drive and about to explode, get donated every year. 0 lawsuits. zero. These stories of overly litigious malcontents ruining the do-gooders of the world, it's just that, a story. Donating these electric bikes would have be fine. Uber destroyed them for the same reason that textbook manufacturers and high end fashion destroys their product instead of donating them, because the slightest imagined possibility of a risk to their ego, brand, or margins are more important than a clear and tangible benefit to society. Everything we've heard about uber tells us this is exactly what they'd do, they're assholes. Look at the companies ex-uber people did, they're all asshole companies like Bird or that ex-uber guy that google successfully sued for $179 million for stealing their ip. I've met with uber at work, they strung us along, telling us literally anything, trying to get all the intel they can, but then got pissed off and start yelling at us when we asked for legal paperwork prior to disclosure of business IP. I've seen people played that way before and I always look out for these kind of spy ruses -- last company that I saw do it was GoDaddy. Of course they'll crush the bikes and no, it has nothing to do with fear of lawsuits, they're just jerks like that.

mthoms 6y ago

For the record, absent some kind of serious negligence, there is no risk of any restaurant or grocer being sued for donating food. The US (and elsewhere I'm sure) has Good Samaritan laws to protect the donors. It amazes me how prevalent this myth is. (See my comment elsewhere in this thread for citations)