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Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

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Re: Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

#21

Post by metamet »

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #15
iamdave wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is extremely disappointing that Uber is considered a crown jewel of Silicon Valley The common refrain I hear is "they're better than taxis" and more and more evidence is mounting against them (at the corporate level) that suggests: no, they really aren't.

I think you're both right and wrong. Uber is better than taxis for riders, and worse than taxis (in some ways) for drivers. Also consider that some Uber drivers couldn't realistically become taxi drivers in their spare time, and perhaps some of them would prefer to be underpaid by Uber rather than not working at all.

Has it always been that way though? I remember when they first launched in SF, and I remember drivers being pretty excited about how much they were making driving. I remember talking to some folks who also drove taxi, mentioning that Uber paid them substantially more.

Re: Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

#22

Post by Jabanga »

burkaman wrote: post #17
ythn wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vs. "We have an idea for a disruptive app. Let's do this 'the right way' and make sure we have the approval of the industry we are disrupting and local government before we get started" -- apps that never come into existance

Amazon? Spotify? Square? Grubhub? Robinhood? And probably lots more. You can have respect for people and laws and still succeed.

One could argue not all laws are moral and that following immoral laws is emphasising your own interests over those of humanity.

If abiding by the law was people's only priority, there would be no widespread usage of public key cryptography (it was extremely illegal in the early 1990s, and only gained legal acceptance after cypherpunks pushed back against the laws and proliferated its use), which would have prevented trillions of dollars worth of ecommerce from being realized.

There would also be no ride sharing apps, no home sharing, and no Bitcoin or Ethereum. Also worth noting that Amazon didn't charge a sales tax for a long time.

Re: Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

#23

Post by bdcravens »

iamdave wrote: post #9
BoiledCabbage wrote: post #2

This company is absolutely astounding. The objects you hold up as ideals says a lot about the culture of your environment and its values. It is extremely disappointing that Uber is considered a crown jewel of Silicon Valley.

It is extremely disappointing that Uber is considered a crown jewel of Silicon Valley The common refrain I hear is "they're better than taxis" and more and more evidence is mounting against them (at the corporate level) that suggests: no, they really aren't.

My first Uber was at RubyConf in San Diego a few years ago. We (a couple of devs that I met) were downtown at a meetup the day before, and we were going back to our hotel, a couple miles away downtown - nothing out of the ordinary. Our Uber driver had trouble communicating, and was asking us for directions. He revealed he had only been in town a couple of days. I was in the front seat, with two other devs in the back - he was chatting with me in front seat about all the sexual stuff he wanted to find on Craigslist that was illegal in his country.

Yeah, definitely worse than any taxi I've ever taken.

Re: Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

#24

Post by bdcravens »

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #15
iamdave wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is extremely disappointing that Uber is considered a crown jewel of Silicon Valley The common refrain I hear is "they're better than taxis" and more and more evidence is mounting against them (at the corporate level) that suggests: no, they really aren't.

I think you're both right and wrong. Uber is better than taxis for riders, and worse than taxis (in some ways) for drivers. Also consider that some Uber drivers couldn't realistically become taxi drivers in their spare time, and perhaps some of them would prefer to be underpaid by Uber rather than not working at all.

> some Uber drivers couldn't realistically become taxi drivers

See my response to parent comment. I've taken some Ubers that were undoubtedly driven by drivers who were unqualified to carry passengers.

Re: Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

#25

Post by funkyy »

Uber, with its history of fraud, will get huge bills in near future. While the company was acting as not caring about anyone, will get bitten by governments and unions soon for it. You cannot disturb the whole world like that. You need to obey laws and try to change/lobby them, rather than break them.

Re: Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

#26

Post by bdrool »

iamdave wrote: post #9
BoiledCabbage wrote: post #2

This company is absolutely astounding. The objects you hold up as ideals says a lot about the culture of your environment and its values. It is extremely disappointing that Uber is considered a crown jewel of Silicon Valley.

It is extremely disappointing that Uber is considered a crown jewel of Silicon Valley The common refrain I hear is "they're better than taxis" and more and more evidence is mounting against them (at the corporate level) that suggests: no, they really aren't.

Uber did the world a favor by breaking the back of the taxi monopoly. But now they need to either clean up their act or go away.

Re: Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

#27

Post by bdcravens »

ythn wrote: post #12
prions wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Move fast and break things (and shortchange everyone in the process)" We're so sorry (again)

Vs. "We have an idea for a disruptive app. Let's do this 'the right way' and make sure we have the approval of the industry we are disrupting and local government before we get started" -- apps that never come into existance

The problem is that Uber has extended that disruptive thinking into all aspects of their being. Ignoring the industry and regulations is one thing, but time and time again it seems they are ignoring human decency.

Re: Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

#28

Post by burkaman »

Jabanga wrote: post #22
burkaman wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon? Spotify? Square? Grubhub? Robinhood? And probably lots more. You can have respect for people and laws and still succeed.

One could argue not all laws are moral and that following immoral laws is emphasising your own interests over those of humanity. If abiding by the law was people's only priority, there would be no widespread usage of public key cryptography (it was extremely illegal in the early 1990s, and only gained legal acceptance after cypherpunks pushed back against the laws and proliferated its use), which would have prevented…

I understand, but your initial attitude should be "let's try to work within society's boundaries to achieve our goal", not "what can I break". There are certainly cases where laws are outdated or wrong, and breaking them is the most efficient and harmless way to get them changed.

I'm just saying "move fast and break things" is not the only way to succeed, should not be a goal in and of itself, and Uber could have been just as successful without being so shitty to people.

Re: Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

#29

Post by gaius »

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #15
iamdave wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is extremely disappointing that Uber is considered a crown jewel of Silicon Valley The common refrain I hear is "they're better than taxis" and more and more evidence is mounting against them (at the corporate level) that suggests: no, they really aren't.

I think you're both right and wrong. Uber is better than taxis for riders, and worse than taxis (in some ways) for drivers. Also consider that some Uber drivers couldn't realistically become taxi drivers in their spare time, and perhaps some of them would prefer to be underpaid by Uber rather than not working at all.

worse than taxis (in some ways) for drivers

... and taxpayers. Someone else pays for the upkeep of those roads, without which their business could not exist. In the UK, someone else pays for the healthcare of their drivers, as they dodge Employer's NI. Etc etc.

The entire business model of "disruption" is pocketing what everyone else pays for the dependencies and externalities.

Re: Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shortchanging NYC Drivers

#30

Post by the_cat_kittles »

BoiledCabbage wrote: post #2

This company is absolutely astounding. The objects you hold up as ideals says a lot about the culture of your environment and its values. It is extremely disappointing that Uber is considered a crown jewel of Silicon Valley.

no man! its the juicero! that thing is so cool and practical!
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