5 ms·

Uber VP: we could spend $1M to take revenge on journalists

239 points by suprgeek 12y ago

fatjokes 12y ago
Normally I don't like jumping on bandwagons without due diligence, but there are just so many competitors that aren't being accused of being huge douches. I think I'll give Lyft a shot.
- rosser 12y ago
  As far as I'm concerned, the nigh-ceaseless stream of reprehensible behavior coming from Uber and its management team more than serves as due diligence.
  - stormbrew 12y ago
    I really wish they weren't the ones doing the most aggressive expansion. Soon I will finally have the choice between my city's awful cabs and uber, but I really want lyft. :/
    - rhizome 12y ago
      Keep talking about them, then. The more people are using Lyft instead of Uber, the more Lyft has the ability to expand.
paulhauggis 12y ago
I would do the same thing. Journalists, especially ones on sites like the verge.com, need to have a taste of their own medicine. In this day in age, there is almost no consequence for starting social media mobs against people for the sole purpose of silencing opposing viewpoints. #vergegate
- zorpner 12y ago
  If Gamergate has done anything positive, it's to finally drive home the point that anyone nonironically using "gate" as a scandal suffix should be taken about as seriously as someone who starts a disagreeing sentence with "Sir,". Regarding Uber, I've switched over to Flywheel in SF & Seattle and am quite happy with it so far. Price is a little higher (except when Uber's surging), but it's a worthwhile tradeoff for me at least (and the drivers, at least so far, always know where they're going when I give an address or crossstreet and don't drive with a GPS in front of their face).
- pravda 12y ago
  I think you have to put "journalists" in quotes.
danso 12y ago
I don't know if someone has submitted the original BuzzFeed report and it's just been buried/flagged...but let's give credit where credit is due: http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-dig... BuzzFeed's editor attended this dinner that was apparently "off-the-record", but such terms were not made clear to BuzzFeed, which is why we're even hearing this story. A few prominent journalists/publishers were in attendance, including Arianna Huffington, and I'm interested in what they have to say now that the horse is out of the barn. But what really fascinates me is that even if Uber made clear that everything was off-the-record...what kind of batshitty, drunken affair was it such that an Uber executive could even think it'd be worthwhile to loudly muse about such a plan, as if no one present would ever leak such an abhorrent discussion. Either everyone was giving off a similar elitist vibe of hear-no-evil-speak-no-evil, or the Uber exec was saying these things jokingly while doing his impression of Richard Nixon. Or this exec is just incredibly stupid. Edit: Also, Uber investors should take note of how wasteful this exec is. The Church of Scientology did the exact same thing in 2010...but they were able to hire a Pulitzer Prize winner, a former 60 Minutes producer, and the former executive editor of the top investigative news organization...all for less than $10,000 apiece (or at least the editor was, I'm assuming the other reporters received roughly the same rate) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/21/AR2010022103692.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02...
- guelo 12y ago
  It was up twice and disappeared https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622088 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622088
  - balladeer 12y ago
    > disappeared Down-voted or removed?
    - lolwutf 12y ago
      I suspect there is a pro-Uber force on HN that downvotes any anti-Uber sentiment on HN, based on my own past experiences posting anti-Uber commentary. Whether or not that pro-Uber force is controlled by Uber, themselves, is unclear. One example: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8328493 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8328493 ...notice 2 of 3 replies indicate surprise at how much I was being downvoted.
gavanwoolery 12y ago
While I can't condone or condemn Uber's actions without more info, I also don't condone the actions of many journalists. To make it perfectly clear, I am in no way defending Uber's VP here. But what is said "off the record" could perhaps be taken out of context - maybe the VP was half joking? Thinking out loud? Far from an official statement or policy. Tasteless, yes, but not necessarily representative of other people at the company. There are many journalists who simply do not do adequate research. In the age of one billion blogs, there simply is not the time or money to bring all slander, defamation, and libel cases to the courtroom. Many "journalists" or bloggers simply do not know who they are hurting or what damage they are doing (doing legitimate damage is fine, propagating false info is not). Edit: if you disagree with me - totally fine, just let me know what you think - I like to hear alternative viewpoints! :)
- zorpner 12y ago
  The decent response to "powerful tech executive considers doxxing female journalist who reports bad things about his company" is not to spend one paragraph thinking of every possible way he could be exonerated, then randomly slag online journalists with no-true-Scotsman arguments.
  - gavanwoolery 12y ago
    I don't really care how "innocent" or "guilty" the VP is, just thinking out loud - playing devil's advocate if you will. :) That said, I still do think there is legitimate concern over the lack of consequence in general among journalists, although admittedly this was definitely the wrong article to bring this up on - I think I've started a witch hunt now :)
    - aetherson 12y ago
      Why are "innocent" and "guilty" in scare quotes? Do you not believe in the concept of innocence or guilt? There are a lot of lazy, opinionated, hacky journalists out there, certainly. That you seized upon someone discussing revenge fantasies towards a particular journalist to air your problems with journalists as a class of people is problematic and not at all classy. If anyone holds the idea that the fundamental problem in journalism today is that journalists are insufficiently deferential to the rich and powerful, that idea is laughably wrong. If anyone holds the idea that the world would be a better place if journalists were MORE afraid of the negative personal consequences to them of writing stories critical of people who are rich or influential, that idea is also laughably wrong.
calbear81 12y ago
I'm not so surprised and I'm getting sick of all the fake apologies. Uber should be proud to be ruthless and change their motto to "fuck being nice" because it's worked well so far for them. Digging up dirt on your enemies is just part of the standard MO if you've come from a background in Washington.
- threeseed 12y ago
  That sort of behaviour may well work in Washington. But Uber is a global company. And pulling that kind of crap say here in Australia will not work well for them. There are plenty of disruptive companies that are successful without acting like pathetic children.
- rtpg 12y ago
  The problem is they play up their "underdog being beat down by the bureaucrats and cab companies" (like a lot of other companies) We should be shaming companies that try this, even if we like the disruption. People slinging shit at each other just lowers the standards for everyone, and makes everything slightly worse.
  - calbear81 12y ago
    Oh I absolutely agree that it's terrible behavior but my point was not that I condoned it, just that they should stop pretending like it's not their true culture/nature. I'm more sick of people apologizing for something they did mean when they get caught.
    - a3n 12y ago
      Yes, whatever it is you do, you should embrace it, brag about it and wallow in it. And if you can't do those things, then stop.
PhantomGremlin 12y ago
Two other HN discussions active. This one links to a Pando post by Sarah Lacy, the journalist being threatened. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622187 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622187 This one links directly to the Buzzfeed report. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003
DigitalSea 12y ago
Uber are not doing themselves any favours the last year or so, wow. Rather than sling words against a company that is already doing a great job at hurting their own image, there are tonnes of decent competitors in the ride sharing space that offer the same kind of service, if not better than what Uber are offering. I recently tried out Lyft for the first time here in Seattle and I must say, it was a much more pleasant experience than I had previously had in my numerous Uber rides. Do not get me wrong, I have not had completely terrible Uber rides, but I have run into instances where Uber drivers have claimed to know shortcuts to get somewhere, only to find themselves lost all while the meter is running on quite a few occasions, I vote with my driver rating, but still. Other reasons to use an alternative to Uber like Lyft is the fact the Lyft app lets you give a driver a tip. Too many times I have been in a situation where I had no cash to tip an Uber driver who helped me carry heavy luggage or items because the app lacks a tip feature. I am not one for jumping on bandwagons, but I really do not like the kind of leadership and image Uber are portraying, not to mention the questionable business practices that were revealed a little while ago. The power of choice is the strongest message we can send Uber that they need to grow up and be a real business. Vote by choosing an alternative if this bothers you like it bothers me.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
  - yazaddaruvala 12y ago
    Agreed! I love that there is no tip. Its actually the reason I've only used Lyft once.
kyro 12y ago
Apologies will go around, investors won't be held accountable, employees will be fired to feign action, company culture won't change, and they'll all end up rich(er), more influential, and praised by this very community at the end of it all. Such is life, sadly. I've been a loyal Uber customer for some time, and have defended them in the past, but there's an undeniable pattern that's emerged indicating a company culture I'd rather not support any longer.
- waterlesscloud 12y ago
  I think it's unlikely anyone even gets fired. They should, but I bet they won't.
tdicola 12y ago
It almost feels like this was setup to be leaked. Instead of paying $1M to dig up dirt, now they can just pay for a few faux-pologetic PR messages and have even more journalists worried about covering them badly in the future.
- DanBC 12y ago
  Except journalists can just write under a pseudonym?
robgibbons 12y ago
Can we all just agree that Uber, as a company, is a piece of shit? They obviously have no respect for their drivers, their customers, or the public at large. Their sense of competition is cutthroat and amoral.
ianhawes 12y ago
I initially got a weird vibe that this Uber crusade, started by PandoDaily, reeked of similar SV faux-dramas originally pioneered by Michael Arrington and TechCrunch. Which is why I'm not surprised to see former TechCrunch tech-drama bloggers Sarah Lacy and Paul Carr stirring the pot in a CrunchFund/Arrington backed venture.
- rtpg 12y ago
  I'm sorry but I'll bite What? In what world is what is said here OK? In what universe are we fine with a company going on smear campaigns against a reporter's personal life in response to criticism of the company and its tactics? In what dimension is Edgar J Hoover approved tactics suddenly OK, and a multi-billion dollar company joking about attacking specific people not absolutely repugnant?
- rhizome 12y ago
  I've been consciously (if not circumstantially) free of anything and anybody TechCrunch-related for at least 5yrs, but hey, a story's a story.
rpm33 12y ago
I've been to a couple of Uber house parties here in SF. The culture seems pretty pathetic - all the employees think they can do what they want because their CEO is aggressive and can run through brickwalls. Its funny how it percolates through to everyone.
suprgeek 12y ago
Just to add to the charming profile of the paragons of virtue that is senior management at Uber[1]: "...In fact, the general manager of Uber NYC accessed the profile of a BuzzFeed News reporter, Johana Bhuiyan, to make points in the course of a discussion of Uber policies. At no point in the email exchanges did she give him permission to do so." - So the CEO has publicly admitted to Calling it Boob-er [2] - Laughable disregard for Customer Privacy [1] - Thuggish/Predatory tactics towards Competitors [3] - Hit pieces & Misogynistic Statements about Journalists who cover them unfavorably Why are investors falling all over themselves to give this grab-bag of egomaniacal, frat-boy thugs more money? This is the real question for VCs and investors...is turning a profit the ONLY thing? then stop Bloviating about trying to change the world, about trying to attract more women into CS, etc. etc. Actions speak louder than words. [1] http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-dig... [2]http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201403/uber-cab-confessions http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201403/uber-cab-c... [3]http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/26/6067663/this-is-ubers-playbook-for-sabotaging-lyft http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/26/6067663/this-is-ubers-play...
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- alexqgb 12y ago
  It's not just the disregard for customer privacy that's at issue here. It's that the situation with Johana flatly contradicts Uber's subsequent remarks that they would never do...exactly what they did to Johana. Screwing people is bad. Screwing journalists is just stupid. Personally threatening other journalists is borderline insanity. Turning around and lying about the safety of the threatened journalist in a way that involves the abused journalist — who can demonstrate that the lie told to the threatened journalist is a lie — is over-the-moon idiocy. Buy hey, I'm sure these guys would never lie to their investors, right?
  - aragot 12y ago
    Aside from the debate of whether he's a good exec, the argument about "lying" is perceived differently from country to country. In US, lying sounds like the worst thing eva. In France it's allowed to lie for your defense, even in front of the police or of the jury. Just yesterday I saw a movie where the kid was accused of shoplifting, said "I didn't do it", then the commercant frowns, the camera focuses, eyebrows darken and he says "!and you're a LIAR!?". From here it sounds quite ridiculous because we know people are failible and they sometimes commit little frauds, which wouldn't have been found otherwise and therefore should be dismissed. Especially so-said "lying" can often be turned over if you look at the context, the lack of precision, the tone and the informal situation. It doesn't mean the executive is a good person, he seems to have used misogynist comments, privacy tampering and threatened journalists in general. Just lying is not a demonstration by itself.
rdtsc 12y ago
They should. It would make Lyft a lot more popular all of the sudden.
chroma 12y ago
People complain about Uber's unethical (and sometimes illegal) business practices, but I think it's useful to entertain a different perspective: Considering all of the laws restricting hired transport, do you really expect a nice company to enter the market? Many saw the opportunity but thought, "That business would probably be illegal. We should do something else." Meanwhile, UberCab (remember when it was called that?) disregarded the laws and went for the opportunity. Obviously, this doesn't excuse their behavior. But it does explain it. In heavily-regulated markets, nice companies are selected against.
- scarmig 12y ago
  Alternative theory: Uber is run by an asshole, and that percolates down through the company to create the toxic culture we see today. We can differentiate by looking at another highly regulated market: short term housing. AirBnB certainly isn't angelic, but I think it is fair to say it doesn't come close to Uber in pure reprehensibility.
k-mcgrady 12y ago
It's just one PR disaster after another with Uber. They have a good business - why do they have to continually act like scumbags?
bedroomfireflys 12y ago
Guys, this whole thing is a viral marketing play, I can smell it a mile away, they've done it before, only difference is now theyre doing it bigger (more controversial) i.e. bad publicity = good publicity

239 points by suprgeek 12y ago

Normally I don't like jumping on bandwagons without due diligence, but there are just so many competitors that aren't being accused of being huge douches. I think I'll give Lyft a shot.

rosser 12y ago
As far as I'm concerned, the nigh-ceaseless stream of reprehensible behavior coming from Uber and its management team more than serves as due diligence.
- stormbrew 12y ago
  I really wish they weren't the ones doing the most aggressive expansion. Soon I will finally have the choice between my city's awful cabs and uber, but I really want lyft. :/
  - rhizome 12y ago
    Keep talking about them, then. The more people are using Lyft instead of Uber, the more Lyft has the ability to expand.

paulhauggis 12y ago

I would do the same thing. Journalists, especially ones on sites like the verge.com, need to have a taste of their own medicine. In this day in age, there is almost no consequence for starting social media mobs against people for the sole purpose of silencing opposing viewpoints. #vergegate

zorpner 12y ago
If Gamergate has done anything positive, it's to finally drive home the point that anyone nonironically using "gate" as a scandal suffix should be taken about as seriously as someone who starts a disagreeing sentence with "Sir,". Regarding Uber, I've switched over to Flywheel in SF & Seattle and am quite happy with it so far. Price is a little higher (except when Uber's surging), but it's a worthwhile tradeoff for me at least (and the drivers, at least so far, always know where they're going when I give an address or crossstreet and don't drive with a GPS in front of their face).
pravda 12y ago
I think you have to put "journalists" in quotes.

danso 12y ago

I don't know if someone has submitted the original BuzzFeed report and it's just been buried/flagged...but let's give credit where credit is due: http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-dig... BuzzFeed's editor attended this dinner that was apparently "off-the-record", but such terms were not made clear to BuzzFeed, which is why we're even hearing this story. A few prominent journalists/publishers were in attendance, including Arianna Huffington, and I'm interested in what they have to say now that the horse is out of the barn. But what really fascinates me is that even if Uber made clear that everything was off-the-record...what kind of batshitty, drunken affair was it such that an Uber executive could even think it'd be worthwhile to loudly muse about such a plan, as if no one present would ever leak such an abhorrent discussion. Either everyone was giving off a similar elitist vibe of hear-no-evil-speak-no-evil, or the Uber exec was saying these things jokingly while doing his impression of Richard Nixon. Or this exec is just incredibly stupid. Edit: Also, Uber investors should take note of how wasteful this exec is. The Church of Scientology did the exact same thing in 2010...but they were able to hire a Pulitzer Prize winner, a former 60 Minutes producer, and the former executive editor of the top investigative news organization...all for less than $10,000 apiece (or at least the editor was, I'm assuming the other reporters received roughly the same rate) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/21/AR2010022103692.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02...

guelo 12y ago
It was up twice and disappeared https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622088 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622088
- balladeer 12y ago
  > disappeared Down-voted or removed?
  - lolwutf 12y ago
    I suspect there is a pro-Uber force on HN that downvotes any anti-Uber sentiment on HN, based on my own past experiences posting anti-Uber commentary. Whether or not that pro-Uber force is controlled by Uber, themselves, is unclear. One example: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8328493 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8328493 ...notice 2 of 3 replies indicate surprise at how much I was being downvoted.

gavanwoolery 12y ago

While I can't condone or condemn Uber's actions without more info, I also don't condone the actions of many journalists. To make it perfectly clear, I am in no way defending Uber's VP here. But what is said "off the record" could perhaps be taken out of context - maybe the VP was half joking? Thinking out loud? Far from an official statement or policy. Tasteless, yes, but not necessarily representative of other people at the company. There are many journalists who simply do not do adequate research. In the age of one billion blogs, there simply is not the time or money to bring all slander, defamation, and libel cases to the courtroom. Many "journalists" or bloggers simply do not know who they are hurting or what damage they are doing (doing legitimate damage is fine, propagating false info is not). Edit: if you disagree with me - totally fine, just let me know what you think - I like to hear alternative viewpoints! :)

zorpner 12y ago
The decent response to "powerful tech executive considers doxxing female journalist who reports bad things about his company" is not to spend one paragraph thinking of every possible way he could be exonerated, then randomly slag online journalists with no-true-Scotsman arguments.
- gavanwoolery 12y ago
  I don't really care how "innocent" or "guilty" the VP is, just thinking out loud - playing devil's advocate if you will. :) That said, I still do think there is legitimate concern over the lack of consequence in general among journalists, although admittedly this was definitely the wrong article to bring this up on - I think I've started a witch hunt now :)
  - aetherson 12y ago
    Why are "innocent" and "guilty" in scare quotes? Do you not believe in the concept of innocence or guilt? There are a lot of lazy, opinionated, hacky journalists out there, certainly. That you seized upon someone discussing revenge fantasies towards a particular journalist to air your problems with journalists as a class of people is problematic and not at all classy. If anyone holds the idea that the fundamental problem in journalism today is that journalists are insufficiently deferential to the rich and powerful, that idea is laughably wrong. If anyone holds the idea that the world would be a better place if journalists were MORE afraid of the negative personal consequences to them of writing stories critical of people who are rich or influential, that idea is also laughably wrong.

calbear81 12y ago

I'm not so surprised and I'm getting sick of all the fake apologies. Uber should be proud to be ruthless and change their motto to "fuck being nice" because it's worked well so far for them. Digging up dirt on your enemies is just part of the standard MO if you've come from a background in Washington.

threeseed 12y ago
That sort of behaviour may well work in Washington. But Uber is a global company. And pulling that kind of crap say here in Australia will not work well for them. There are plenty of disruptive companies that are successful without acting like pathetic children.
rtpg 12y ago
The problem is they play up their "underdog being beat down by the bureaucrats and cab companies" (like a lot of other companies) We should be shaming companies that try this, even if we like the disruption. People slinging shit at each other just lowers the standards for everyone, and makes everything slightly worse.
- calbear81 12y ago
  Oh I absolutely agree that it's terrible behavior but my point was not that I condoned it, just that they should stop pretending like it's not their true culture/nature. I'm more sick of people apologizing for something they did mean when they get caught.
  - a3n 12y ago
    Yes, whatever it is you do, you should embrace it, brag about it and wallow in it. And if you can't do those things, then stop.

PhantomGremlin 12y ago

Two other HN discussions active. This one links to a Pando post by Sarah Lacy, the journalist being threatened. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622187 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622187 This one links directly to the Buzzfeed report. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003

DigitalSea 12y ago

Uber are not doing themselves any favours the last year or so, wow. Rather than sling words against a company that is already doing a great job at hurting their own image, there are tonnes of decent competitors in the ride sharing space that offer the same kind of service, if not better than what Uber are offering. I recently tried out Lyft for the first time here in Seattle and I must say, it was a much more pleasant experience than I had previously had in my numerous Uber rides. Do not get me wrong, I have not had completely terrible Uber rides, but I have run into instances where Uber drivers have claimed to know shortcuts to get somewhere, only to find themselves lost all while the meter is running on quite a few occasions, I vote with my driver rating, but still. Other reasons to use an alternative to Uber like Lyft is the fact the Lyft app lets you give a driver a tip. Too many times I have been in a situation where I had no cash to tip an Uber driver who helped me carry heavy luggage or items because the app lacks a tip feature. I am not one for jumping on bandwagons, but I really do not like the kind of leadership and image Uber are portraying, not to mention the questionable business practices that were revealed a little while ago. The power of choice is the strongest message we can send Uber that they need to grow up and be a real business. Vote by choosing an alternative if this bothers you like it bothers me.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
- yazaddaruvala 12y ago
  Agreed! I love that there is no tip. Its actually the reason I've only used Lyft once.

kyro 12y ago

Apologies will go around, investors won't be held accountable, employees will be fired to feign action, company culture won't change, and they'll all end up rich(er), more influential, and praised by this very community at the end of it all. Such is life, sadly. I've been a loyal Uber customer for some time, and have defended them in the past, but there's an undeniable pattern that's emerged indicating a company culture I'd rather not support any longer.

waterlesscloud 12y ago
I think it's unlikely anyone even gets fired. They should, but I bet they won't.

tdicola 12y ago

It almost feels like this was setup to be leaked. Instead of paying $1M to dig up dirt, now they can just pay for a few faux-pologetic PR messages and have even more journalists worried about covering them badly in the future.

DanBC 12y ago
Except journalists can just write under a pseudonym?

robgibbons 12y ago

Can we all just agree that Uber, as a company, is a piece of shit? They obviously have no respect for their drivers, their customers, or the public at large. Their sense of competition is cutthroat and amoral.

ianhawes 12y ago

I initially got a weird vibe that this Uber crusade, started by PandoDaily, reeked of similar SV faux-dramas originally pioneered by Michael Arrington and TechCrunch. Which is why I'm not surprised to see former TechCrunch tech-drama bloggers Sarah Lacy and Paul Carr stirring the pot in a CrunchFund/Arrington backed venture.

rtpg 12y ago
I'm sorry but I'll bite What? In what world is what is said here OK? In what universe are we fine with a company going on smear campaigns against a reporter's personal life in response to criticism of the company and its tactics? In what dimension is Edgar J Hoover approved tactics suddenly OK, and a multi-billion dollar company joking about attacking specific people not absolutely repugnant?
rhizome 12y ago
I've been consciously (if not circumstantially) free of anything and anybody TechCrunch-related for at least 5yrs, but hey, a story's a story.

rpm33 12y ago

I've been to a couple of Uber house parties here in SF. The culture seems pretty pathetic - all the employees think they can do what they want because their CEO is aggressive and can run through brickwalls. Its funny how it percolates through to everyone.

suprgeek 12y ago

Just to add to the charming profile of the paragons of virtue that is senior management at Uber[1]: "...In fact, the general manager of Uber NYC accessed the profile of a BuzzFeed News reporter, Johana Bhuiyan, to make points in the course of a discussion of Uber policies. At no point in the email exchanges did she give him permission to do so." - So the CEO has publicly admitted to Calling it Boob-er [2] - Laughable disregard for Customer Privacy [1] - Thuggish/Predatory tactics towards Competitors [3] - Hit pieces & Misogynistic Statements about Journalists who cover them unfavorably Why are investors falling all over themselves to give this grab-bag of egomaniacal, frat-boy thugs more money? This is the real question for VCs and investors...is turning a profit the ONLY thing? then stop Bloviating about trying to change the world, about trying to attract more women into CS, etc. etc. Actions speak louder than words. [1] http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-dig... [2]http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201403/uber-cab-confessions http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201403/uber-cab-c... [3]http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/26/6067663/this-is-ubers-playbook-for-sabotaging-lyft http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/26/6067663/this-is-ubers-play...

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
alexqgb 12y ago
It's not just the disregard for customer privacy that's at issue here. It's that the situation with Johana flatly contradicts Uber's subsequent remarks that they would never do...exactly what they did to Johana. Screwing people is bad. Screwing journalists is just stupid. Personally threatening other journalists is borderline insanity. Turning around and lying about the safety of the threatened journalist in a way that involves the abused journalist — who can demonstrate that the lie told to the threatened journalist is a lie — is over-the-moon idiocy. Buy hey, I'm sure these guys would never lie to their investors, right?
- aragot 12y ago
  Aside from the debate of whether he's a good exec, the argument about "lying" is perceived differently from country to country. In US, lying sounds like the worst thing eva. In France it's allowed to lie for your defense, even in front of the police or of the jury. Just yesterday I saw a movie where the kid was accused of shoplifting, said "I didn't do it", then the commercant frowns, the camera focuses, eyebrows darken and he says "!and you're a LIAR!?". From here it sounds quite ridiculous because we know people are failible and they sometimes commit little frauds, which wouldn't have been found otherwise and therefore should be dismissed. Especially so-said "lying" can often be turned over if you look at the context, the lack of precision, the tone and the informal situation. It doesn't mean the executive is a good person, he seems to have used misogynist comments, privacy tampering and threatened journalists in general. Just lying is not a demonstration by itself.

rdtsc 12y ago

They should. It would make Lyft a lot more popular all of the sudden.

chroma 12y ago

People complain about Uber's unethical (and sometimes illegal) business practices, but I think it's useful to entertain a different perspective: Considering all of the laws restricting hired transport, do you really expect a nice company to enter the market? Many saw the opportunity but thought, "That business would probably be illegal. We should do something else." Meanwhile, UberCab (remember when it was called that?) disregarded the laws and went for the opportunity. Obviously, this doesn't excuse their behavior. But it does explain it. In heavily-regulated markets, nice companies are selected against.

scarmig 12y ago
Alternative theory: Uber is run by an asshole, and that percolates down through the company to create the toxic culture we see today. We can differentiate by looking at another highly regulated market: short term housing. AirBnB certainly isn't angelic, but I think it is fair to say it doesn't come close to Uber in pure reprehensibility.

k-mcgrady 12y ago

It's just one PR disaster after another with Uber. They have a good business - why do they have to continually act like scumbags?

bedroomfireflys 12y ago

Guys, this whole thing is a viral marketing play, I can smell it a mile away, they've done it before, only difference is now theyre doing it bigger (more controversial) i.e. bad publicity = good publicity