Live data from Hacker News

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

techcrunch.com

261–270 of 573 posts

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

#261
post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only way Uber could have participated in the strike would have been by paying its drivers for the time they didn't work if they decided not to. Uber, as a taxi drivers employer, cannot just decide on its own that its workers are striking and won't get paid.

You can always disable the service. Then you will get angry drivers that cannot earn money because of a choice you made, but you can participate to the strike.

That would have meant forcing other people (their drivers) to strike, and share the economic loss for it as well. Not very fair, don't you think? Being on strike with other people's money?

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

#262

Kalanick and Musk are basically the only two remaining adults in SV. Musk basically said on twitter, "I'll go and talk to the guy". Everyone else is more concerned with political correctness and virtue signaling. Hundred thousand bombs dropped into five countries on that list -- not a goddamn peep from anybody. 2150 people killed by drones -- same. Iraqi refugees banned for half a year -- no one has even heard of it.…

I'm really tired of the "virtue signaling" meme. Yeah, there are some people out there that don't really care about their cause and only want to look good. But really, the vast majority of protesters out there are not in that category. They are alarmed, they know they only have partial information but that's part of what they are alarmed about, they know they don't have a lot of power to do anything other than "call their representatives", and still just want to do something.

Nonviolent protest is an effective tool. There are academic studies done on it [1] and how it is actually more effective than violent protest - it has real efficacy. It's not merely "virtue signaling".

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Why-Civil-Resistance-Works-Nonviolent...

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

#263

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…

Uber broke the strike by breaking the strike. This absurd focus on whether surge pricing was a multiplier or disincentive is a complete distraction. The taxi drivers reached out and asked Uber for solidarity. They dispatched drivers to break the strike. They made their bed in the court of public opinion, now they can lie in it.

Uber is a company, it is not organized in a union. I would never expect them to participate in a strike and effectively order their drivers to stop working. Just like a taxicab company doesn't participate in the strike, but the drivers do.

This is like if Coca Cola workers went on strike, and problem blamed Pespi Co of breaking strike by not sending their workers home??

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

#264

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…

Uber broke the strike by breaking the strike. This absurd focus on whether surge pricing was a multiplier or disincentive is a complete distraction. The taxi drivers reached out and asked Uber for solidarity. They dispatched drivers to break the strike. They made their bed in the court of public opinion, now they can lie in it.

"Uber broke the strike by breaking the strike"

I'm pretty sure that's not true.

If the Airport 'hired taxis' - and then hired 'other taxis' to do some work, then it might be true.

But the Airport doesn't hire them, and also Uber is not technically a taxi ...

So I think it's within the law.

As far as 'court of public opinion' - that's another matter.

I'd be interested to see what people actually think outside of our culture.

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

#265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard to understand what Musk thinks here. He believes he can influence or correct Trump's policies ? weird.

Has there been any case in recent history (20 years) in which a president has changed anything of any consequence due to mass protest? Musk is on the _advisory board_. It could be that this advisory board is a farce, or it could be that Trump would actually listen to a fellow "billionaire playboy philanthropist". One thing is pretty clear to me: Trump is not going to give a shit about either the liberal press (or in…

I agree with all you wrote. Hence the confusion. The only thing that might be a lever to control Trump is Musk global fame as an US visionary in Space and Cars, plus the Gigafactory (which is very much Trump-ish in gigantism) with its US jobs feel.

Other than that ..

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

#266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So? I have a hard time understanding why a multinational company needs to participate so deeply in the politics and labor strikes of a single city. New York is big, but I'd imagine the CEO had a focus that included LA, Chicago, London, etc. and that would take away from coordinating with any taxi-strikers in NYC. Addendum: Did the taxi union contact Uber before the strike to coordinate this action? I mean it's a 1 ho…

Worth noting that 3 collective entities "broke" the strike. 1) Uber drivers by responding to pickups. 2) Uber customers by requesting those pickups. 3) Uber the company by facilitating those pickups. I am not sure we can claim high moral ground and label (3) immoral while staying oblivious to (1) and (2).

Well, six entities: the three you mention plus each one with s/Uber/Lyft/, since Lyft was also picking up people from the airport during that time.

Your point still stands, of course. (Though I choose to avoid taking the moral high ground not by condemning all of those entities, but by refusing to condemn any of them, since I don't see any fault here.)

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

#267
post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 advo…

"Maybe they agree with Trump"

Maybe living in NYC is very expensive, they are poor, and they need money.

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

#268
post #69

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…

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…

"collaborating with the Trump administration on the one hand, while simultaneously trying to be seen as moral."

So is Musk, and many others.

Cook was just at dinner with Ivana a few days ago.

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

#269
post #248
post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_signalling

Do you have something substantive to add besides posting the Wikipedia link? One could uncharitably interpret your comment as virtue signaling in and of itself.

I found it useful, I forgot what the term was and wanted to look it up.

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

#270
post #69

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…

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…

I think the hullabaloo around this immigration matter is reasonable. However, it would have been really great if the left had used the same amount of enthusiasm and vigour to protest the killing of innocent muslims civilians[1] by the united states, but i guess it's alright if their party approved of it.

[1]https://www.democracynow.org/2014/2/21/turning_a_wedding_int...

Post reply on HN