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It's a popular meme in tech journalism that Uber is "under attack" for its nefarious business practices, but how much has this sense pervaded outside the tech b

It's a popular meme in tech journalism that Uber is "under attack" for its nefarious business practices, but how much has this sense pervaded outside the tech bubble?

jonathanjaeger 12y ago
On Facebook I've seen people post about it. These are people who might have a job in tech (e.g. marketing at a tech company) but for the most part don't read Hacker News or tech articles often. Keep in mind there were some late night television shows covering the issue and a few politicians peaking in for review. I think it is an issue with some appeal to those outside of tech, but for the most it doesn't seem to be an issue. I mean NSA spying and privacy issues don't get the masses to delete Facebook accounts or Gmail, so it certainly won't stop Uber.
smackfu 12y ago
Outside the tech bubble and the big cities, the viewpoint is generally "What's Uber?" and "What's AirBnb?" I even have had Uber drivers in big cities who had no idea what AirBnb was.
ryanhuff 12y ago
Its bubbled up to the New York Times. Otherwise, if fails my "mom test", so its still a niche service IMO.
- smeyer 12y ago
  What's your "mom test"? My (mid-60s) mother uses Uber, as do some of my middle-aged friends, even if it's far less popular there than it is among my friends in their 20s.
  - ryanhuff 12y ago
    My mom doesn't really know what it is. Mind you, she lives in suburbia and has her own car.
    - smeyer 12y ago
      Yeah, as does mine. I agree that it's likely the case that most middle aged mothers living in suburbia aren't too familiar with it.
- pbreit 12y ago
  A trillion dollar niche!
  - ryanhuff 12y ago
    That trillion dollars is forward-looking, and not based on current revenue. It may well end up being a mainstream, household name before too long, but not yet.
    - pbreit 12y ago
      When talking about the niche, no need to limit to one company's current run rate. And see gurley for how it's potentially a trillion dollar "niche".
freehunter 12y ago
My wife (mid-20s) and her friends were going to take one for the first time after I told them about it as they were headed to Chicago for the weekend. They all got scared and took a cab instead because they had never heard of Uber and didn't trust it. Nothing I could say would convince them otherwise, they need to hear about it from other sources to think it's legit. People just don't know about Uber. They're not recognizable enough (no advertising).

It's a popular meme in tech journalism that Uber is "under attack" for its nefarious business practices, but how much has this sense pervaded outside the tech bubble?

jonathanjaeger 12y ago

On Facebook I've seen people post about it. These are people who might have a job in tech (e.g. marketing at a tech company) but for the most part don't read Hacker News or tech articles often. Keep in mind there were some late night television shows covering the issue and a few politicians peaking in for review. I think it is an issue with some appeal to those outside of tech, but for the most it doesn't seem to be an issue. I mean NSA spying and privacy issues don't get the masses to delete Facebook accounts or Gmail, so it certainly won't stop Uber.

smackfu 12y ago

Outside the tech bubble and the big cities, the viewpoint is generally "What's Uber?" and "What's AirBnb?" I even have had Uber drivers in big cities who had no idea what AirBnb was.

ryanhuff 12y ago

Its bubbled up to the New York Times. Otherwise, if fails my "mom test", so its still a niche service IMO.

smeyer 12y ago
What's your "mom test"? My (mid-60s) mother uses Uber, as do some of my middle-aged friends, even if it's far less popular there than it is among my friends in their 20s.
- ryanhuff 12y ago
  My mom doesn't really know what it is. Mind you, she lives in suburbia and has her own car.
  - smeyer 12y ago
    Yeah, as does mine. I agree that it's likely the case that most middle aged mothers living in suburbia aren't too familiar with it.
pbreit 12y ago
A trillion dollar niche!
- ryanhuff 12y ago
  That trillion dollars is forward-looking, and not based on current revenue. It may well end up being a mainstream, household name before too long, but not yet.
  - pbreit 12y ago
    When talking about the niche, no need to limit to one company's current run rate. And see gurley for how it's potentially a trillion dollar "niche".

freehunter 12y ago

My wife (mid-20s) and her friends were going to take one for the first time after I told them about it as they were headed to Chicago for the weekend. They all got scared and took a cab instead because they had never heard of Uber and didn't trust it. Nothing I could say would convince them otherwise, they need to hear about it from other sources to think it's legit. People just don't know about Uber. They're not recognizable enough (no advertising).