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If a landscaper quotes you a price to tend to your lawn and you accept the offer, would you feel defrauded to see him using a pair of scissors merely because ot

If a landscaper quotes you a price to tend to your lawn and you accept the offer, would you feel defrauded to see him using a pair of scissors merely because other landscapers use gas-powered mowers, despite getting a beautiful result? His lack of automation doesn't result in some kind of simulated outcome, it results in a very real outcome.

ineedasername 3y ago
We’re not talking about a quote, we’re talking about a demonstration of functionality. If a landscaping business showed me an automated machine trimming the most amazing topiary and it turned out to be a guy behind a tree with a remote control then I wouldn’t trust the business. From the post: >they’ll assume it’s automated This approach is inherently fraudulent. It is an explicit direction to startups that they should misrepresent their products. How can anyone view this as anything but dishonest? It shouldn’t even be up for debate. I can’t think of any situation where deliberately doing this is ethical, but I’ll try to keep an open mind if someone has a hypothetical to the contrary. Why, except for deliberate fraud, couldn’t the startup at least say “Implementation of full automation is in-progress.”?
- hunter2_ 3y ago
  I guess I was thinking that automation wasn't actually stated/implied at all (the recipient is merely assuming, because most business these days happens to be automated), not that anyone would lie. "They'll assume" and "they should misrepresent" are rather distinct concepts.
- inimino 3y ago
  Who benefits from this "fraud" you are imagining? How does that scenario play out in your head? "Ha! You think this costs us mere pennies of electricity, but actually our highest paid employees are personally spending hours getting it right, muahahaha." Nobody gives a shit how you deliver the value, they care if their problem is solved and you care if the problem you're solving even exists and people are willing to pay.
  - ineedasername 3y ago
    I think the answer to “who benefits” is obvious. If there was no benefit, there would be no reason to lie.

ineedasername 3y ago

We’re not talking about a quote, we’re talking about a demonstration of functionality. If a landscaping business showed me an automated machine trimming the most amazing topiary and it turned out to be a guy behind a tree with a remote control then I wouldn’t trust the business. From the post: >they’ll assume it’s automated This approach is inherently fraudulent. It is an explicit direction to startups that they should misrepresent their products. How can anyone view this as anything but dishonest? It shouldn’t even be up for debate. I can’t think of any situation where deliberately doing this is ethical, but I’ll try to keep an open mind if someone has a hypothetical to the contrary. Why, except for deliberate fraud, couldn’t the startup at least say “Implementation of full automation is in-progress.”?

hunter2_ 3y ago
I guess I was thinking that automation wasn't actually stated/implied at all (the recipient is merely assuming, because most business these days happens to be automated), not that anyone would lie. "They'll assume" and "they should misrepresent" are rather distinct concepts.
inimino 3y ago
Who benefits from this "fraud" you are imagining? How does that scenario play out in your head? "Ha! You think this costs us mere pennies of electricity, but actually our highest paid employees are personally spending hours getting it right, muahahaha." Nobody gives a shit how you deliver the value, they care if their problem is solved and you care if the problem you're solving even exists and people are willing to pay.
- ineedasername 3y ago
  I think the answer to “who benefits” is obvious. If there was no benefit, there would be no reason to lie.