Users You Don’t Want • Hacker News Board

Re: Users You Don’t Want

#41

Post by tobyg123 » Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 7:35 PM UTC

GuiA wrote: post #37

shocks wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What happens to that segment of the population when/if Airbnb completely kills off hotels in a particular geographic location? Someone makes Airbnb for folk with mobility problems and makes a killing.

What if it's not profitable to do that on its own? The "free market takes care of everything" argument is an idealistic position, not something based in reality.

The core of the article is saying that you can't satisfy everyone, and the point of the replier was to point out that, if the need is that great, and there are such large amounts of people with the same issue, the free market will produce an alternative.

Re: Users You Don’t Want

#42

Post by dbsmith83 » Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 7:36 PM UTC

GuiA wrote: post #20

> Now, what happens if someone with an infant or developmentally challenged teenager signs up? Their needs present an entirely new set of problems, problems that could be solved by a startup but not necessarily by ours. Remember you don’t have to pivot your business because a customer needs something that you don’t offer. If you open a restaurant, you bet that there are certain building codes you'll have to follow in…

I agree with your concerns as a whole, but maybe not your analysis of the accommodation. If the startup is merely a platform for connecting babysitters and parents, babysitters could choose whom they want to babysit. A babysitter who was not qualified to deal with a developmentally challenged kid or infant should not have to, and probably shouldn't.

Re: Users You Don’t Want

#43

Post by Normal_gaussian » Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 7:40 PM UTC

GuiA wrote: post #37

shocks wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What happens to that segment of the population when/if Airbnb completely kills off hotels in a particular geographic location? Someone makes Airbnb for folk with mobility problems and makes a killing.

What if it's not profitable to do that on its own? The "free market takes care of everything" argument is an idealistic position, not something based in reality.

Regulations catch up.

Often the reason the regulations are there in the first place is because otherwise the need wouldn't be met.

That is the reality around you now

Re: Users You Don’t Want

#44

Post by jcoffland » Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 7:43 PM UTC

tobyg123 wrote: post #41

GuiA wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if it's not profitable to do that on its own? The "free market takes care of everything" argument is an idealistic position, not something based in reality.

The core of the article is saying that you can't satisfy everyone , and the point of the replier was to point out that, if the need is that great, and there are such large amounts of people with the same issue, the free market will produce an alternative.

You are still assuming that great need and profitability go hand in hand. The issue being discussed is specifically the cases where they do not.

Re: Users You Don’t Want

#45

Post by jcoffland » Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 7:49 PM UTC

GuiA wrote: post #20

> Now, what happens if someone with an infant or developmentally challenged teenager signs up? Their needs present an entirely new set of problems, problems that could be solved by a startup but not necessarily by ours. Remember you don’t have to pivot your business because a customer needs something that you don’t offer. If you open a restaurant, you bet that there are certain building codes you'll have to follow in…

The quoted statement above is blatant discrimination and incriminates the company who wrote it. I'm surprised the company's lawyers allowed it. Much of the legal system in the US says that you cannot ignore the needs of minority groups just because it's not profitable.

Re: Users You Don’t Want

#46

Post by falcolas » Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 7:50 PM UTC

tobyg123 wrote: post #41

GuiA wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if it's not profitable to do that on its own? The "free market takes care of everything" argument is an idealistic position, not something based in reality.

The core of the article is saying that you can't satisfy everyone , and the point of the replier was to point out that, if the need is that great, and there are such large amounts of people with the same issue, the free market will produce an alternative.

What if the need is great, but there isn't a lot of extra money to be made? Should the minority with disabilities be forced to pay extra to convince someone to provide them with otherwise identical functionality?

Many accommodations, if not federally mandated, simply wouldn't happen. For example, handicapped parking spots. People who use those spots are technically capable of using other parking locations as well, and the current handicapped parking spots are usually located in prime areas.

Re: Users You Don’t Want

#47

Post by jcoffland » Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 7:50 PM UTC

And what if I want only Nigerian princes because they have the most money?

Re: Users You Don’t Want

#48

Post by ryandrake » Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 7:52 PM UTC

pc86 wrote: post #24

ryandrake wrote: post #16

Been through this at medium sized companies struggling to sell. This kind of customer is alluring but poisonous. Company: We sell Product X! Toxic Customer: I don't want Product X, I want Product Y. If you're willing to bolt Product Y onto one of your menus I will pay you this stack of money for it! Company: $$$! Bam! The company just went from being a product company to a custom engineering service. You will have to…

I think 49.9% of executives agree with that and 90%+ of product people/developers agree with that too. The problem is that it's rarely X and Y. It's almost always justifiable, though. Imagine X=1 and Y=100. If you sell 1 and a customer asks for 100 it's easy to say no. If they ask for 50 or 25 it's still easy. The problem is when they ask for 2. Or 1.5, and are willing to pay big bucks to get it. It's hard to know wh…

Oh, yes, it's a difficult call. The customer might even start in with this (stop me if you've heard THIS one before): "Hey, we'll pay all your NRE for you and you get to sell it to everyone else including our competitors as part of your product!!"

Do this, and your product people (if you have any) will all quit, and your engineering talent will start thinking "If we're just another custom engineering consulting company now, why don't I just go over to one of the big consulting firms and make actual money doing the same thing?

Re: Users You Don’t Want

#49

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 7:53 PM UTC

ryandrake wrote: post #16

Been through this at medium sized companies struggling to sell. This kind of customer is alluring but poisonous. Company: We sell Product X! Toxic Customer: I don't want Product X, I want Product Y. If you're willing to bolt Product Y onto one of your menus I will pay you this stack of money for it! Company: $$$! Bam! The company just went from being a product company to a custom engineering service. You will have to…

[deleted]

Re: Users You Don’t Want

#50

Post by CPLX » Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 7:55 PM UTC

Posting an article called "users you don't want" and then using a developmentally challenged teenager as the example of a user that you don't want is so spectacularly tone-deaf that I am left somewhat speechless.

I keep thinking this will be the year that the valley types wake up and realize this kind of mentality puts them in existential danger from mobs with pitchforks, but it keeps not happening.