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Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

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Re: Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

#171
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drivers on Uber are contractors. Isn't it each driver's choice to decide if they want to strike or not?

It absolutely is. This doesn't make scabbing any less vile, however. All it has guaranteed in this instance is that a bunch of hapless Uber drivers are going to be feeling the backlash. Friends don't let friends scab.

> This doesn't make scabbing any less vile, however... Friends don't let friends scab.

"If you don't actively participate in my exact form of political activism, you're a bad person!"

This is the kind of rhetoric that pushed a ton of people on the fence towards Trump. For some reason, it's a common leftist tactic right now to insist that if you aren't actively engaged in whatever form of extremism the speaker is advocating, you are evil and (propping up the man | part of the patriarchy | oppressing | a literal nazi | etc.). Entirely predictably, this is likely to alienate anyone even slightly to the right of the speaker and push them further right.

Maybe most Uber drivers don't really want to protest in this way. Maybe they agree with Trump. (Probably not, given that it's Manhattan, but who knows.) Maybe they feel like they don't have all the facts and don't want to make a stand based on an incomplete understanding. Either way, attacking them for it is counterproductive for you.

Re: Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

#172
post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm really confused by this. Are you mad because the political climate is encouraging people to wake up and go, I am mad that an app on my phone is now sending me emails about what I think is a fake outrage and jumping on a bandwagon. > Are you mad because the political climate is encouraging people to wake up and go, People should wake up. And one can argue, a good thing about Trump is perhaps we'll see a start of…

I don't disagree with your point, whatsoever, but I did see another perspective that I might not have otherwise considered while working with a larger company recently. During the public debates regarding marriage equality, the company showed a very public display of support for marriage equality. They updated their branding and I assume their marketing as well to show that support. From the inside, it was clear that…

That's an interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing.

Another perspective is that Christian and Muslim employees of those companies were told that the management's official policy is that certain aspects of their religious beliefs are wrong. Can you imagine those employees weighing speaking up for themselves vs. their need to keep their jobs?

I've seen employees in that situation, and their morale was definitely not boosted.

Re: Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

#173
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't about "messaging" or "optics". Kalanick is playing a double game, collaborating with the Trump administration on the one hand, while simultaneously trying to be seen as moral. This is too transparent and Kalanick got caught trying to play both sides. If he believes the Muslim ban and other policies of hate are immoral, he should loudly and publicly resign his position on the president's economic advisory g…

If he disagrees with the President, why should he (and why should anyone want him to) stop speaking into the President's ear?

I agree that he shouldn't be criticized for staying on, but only if he publicly voices his disagreement in unambiguous terms. If Trump only wants boot lickers, he can fire Kalanick like he did the acting attorney general.

Of course, it doesn't look like that is the case. By all appearances Kalanick is mincing words as he tries to balance the affections of the administration and angry users. My guess is that he is just another spineless think-for-himselfer.

Re: Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

#174

these types of events usually blow over in a month or so. but it does confirm what everyone already knows: ride hailing apps have no stickiness. at the end of the day no one cares what service provides the car.

People will care if and when Uber figures out autonomous taxis and can continue their ridiculously low prices without losses.

Probably not even then. Plenty of companies are in the automated-vehicle race. A number of which are a) profitable, and b) worth more than Uber. Some of them also manufacture cars and have decades of vehicle experience to draw on.

Uber made a grab for dominance based mainly on brand (plus massive subsidies). Foolfoolz is right; this suggests that the market just isn't particularly sticky. Brand isn't enough.

Re: Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

#175
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't about "messaging" or "optics". Kalanick is playing a double game, collaborating with the Trump administration on the one hand, while simultaneously trying to be seen as moral. This is too transparent and Kalanick got caught trying to play both sides. If he believes the Muslim ban and other policies of hate are immoral, he should loudly and publicly resign his position on the president's economic advisory g…

"Policies of hate" The destruction of 10s of millions of american jobs was an actual policy of hate and arrogance. A policy stopping immigration from countries with very established terrorist groups isn't "hate". Is a firewall hate against the internet gestalt of human cognition and computer computation?

[deleted]

Re: Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

#176

Dan Primack summarised this well; Uber failed on messaging: "Uber has done a lot of questionable things over the years, but its actions this past weekend vis-a-vis Trump's immigration ban weren't among them. An actual timeline from Saturday, which may differ from what you saw on social media: • 4:20pm ET: CEO Travis Kalanick sent email to employees. It stopped short of explicitly opposing the ban, but did say: (1) Th…

The strike was nonsense anyway. Why were drivers striking -- punishing the innocent residents and visitors (and protestors/allies!) of New York (a sanctuary city!), in an attempt to punish Donald Trump?

[deleted]

Re: Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

#177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The strike was nonsense anyway. Why were drivers striking -- punishing the innocent residents and visitors (and protestors/allies!) of New York (a sanctuary city!), in an attempt to punish Donald Trump?

You don't understand protest. Sure, one thing you can do is disrupt the specific people doing something bad. But that's pretty rare. As MLK explains, the point is to create a more general disruption so that everyone has to take notice of an issue they might otherwise ignore: "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is…

I think you ignored his point or misunderstood. The majority of NYC already is on their side.

It would be like MLK advocating for equal rights protests in a majority-black church.

Re: Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

#178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can someone please help me understand why traditional taxis haven't adapted the same tech as Lyft and Uber? You're right, there really is no moat. Tech is mostly a big ol database. Is it due to disjointure among small companies?

There's a startup called Flywheel that has been selling shovels to taxi cab companies -- in the form of electronic dispatch, payments, navigation and GPS-based metering. https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/22/flywheel-expands-uber-like...

And it works fine. I've been using Flywheel since 2013. Their software started out rough, but now it's solid. It may be a bit more expensive, but the average driver I get has been driving in SF more than a decade, so they're knowledgeable and competent. Plus I know they're insured and properly regulated.

Re: Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

#179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Policies of hate" The destruction of 10s of millions of american jobs was an actual policy of hate and arrogance. A policy stopping immigration from countries with very established terrorist groups isn't "hate". Is a firewall hate against the internet gestalt of human cognition and computer computation?

Except they left out the countries with the most known terrorist activities in the us, that happened to be countries with major trump investments, that would be Saudia Arabia and Egypt.

We need oil. People like their modern society built on oil.

The Saudis have too much leverage over the American political establishment.

The proper way to deal with them would be to nuke Mecca but that won't happen.

Re: Lyft surges to the top 10 on App Store following the “DeleteUber” campaign

#180
post #156
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's specious. The subway is a utility provided by the city.

Taxis, if regulated by the city, are effectively a utility provided partially by the city.

Regulation of a private service does not obligate the operators of that service to offer it, unless those regulations specifically require it.
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