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> it was one of my favourite companies. But, why? They've always been boisterous and exploitative. Just because someone provides a "do what I want" button d
by seiji 11y ago
> it was one of my favourite companies.
But, why? They've always been boisterous and exploitative. Just because someone provides a "do what I want" button doesn't absolve them of all their koala-fueled tyranny in the background.
It turns out when you allow cutthroat capitalism with no regulators or oversight (or regulators that lag by 5-10 years), it becomes easy to abuse so many features of our shared economy. Startups figured this out about 7 years ago and are going full steam ahead with exploitation at the speed of business model evolution.
> he created Uber to have a more "baller" way to travel around San Francisco
so, uber is basically 100% BroTaxi, just not so obviously branded. Then lyft is half BroTaxi ("mustache rides!") an half HippyTaxi (we'll be super dope BFFs forever! (at least until the end of this transactional ride)). What if transportation fractures like online communities fracture? Does each online message board get its own taxi service? That could potentially fix the quality problem since you would only be associating with people already like yourself. "MRA-only taxi service, hackernews-only taxi service, ..."
Know the most 'baller' way to travel around San Francisco? Spend an hour trying to get somewhere 5 miles away on public transit then focus on fixing the system itself. Don't try to elevate yourself above what you perceive to be the oh-so-dirty unwashed masses. Remember: melting-pot, not gilded tower.
Of course, all this people-taxi drama is time limited until we have self aware cars fulfilling our every transportation wish (let's just hope they don't get too clairvoyant).
- kaolinite 11y ago> But, why? They've always been boisterous and exploitative. Agreed. I'm not saying that I'm proud that I supported them. Previously, I bought into the "taxi mafia" story that Travis spun. I was at a talk he gave and, well, he was convincing. I think at the time, he was probably telling the truth: there probably was a lot of corruption in the taxi industry (and probably still is). But now, after he's used it time after time to justify treating drivers and customers poorly (fighting against insurance, for example), I feel like a fool for believing him. > so, uber is basically 100% BroTaxi I don't think he was using the term "baller" seriously, it was most likely a joke. UberExec/Lux certainly doesn't feel like it's for "bros", it feels like it's for professionals.
- seiji 11y ago> a lot of corruption in the taxi industry That's a great point. Start a new exploiting service under the guise of freeing people from an already exploiting service. That tactic provides cover, plausible deniability, and an automatic anti-establishment camaraderie following. Though that's basically the same tactic taken by every politician in every election these days ("Washington is CORRUPT! It's full of insiders and lobbyists and lifers. I will be expose the corruption and fight FOR YOU!"). By the time people realize you have become the new corrupt rent-seeking entity, it's too late for people to fight you and your $6 billion VC war chest (yes, uber has raised 6 billion-with-a-B dollars in "funding" — they seem to be taking the PayPal model of just giving people free money in exchange for loyalty (subsidies paid for by middle america retirement funds invested in VC funds)).