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Uber CEO to take leave

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Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#141

Post by [deleted] »

allsunny wrote: post #113
PatrickAuld wrote: post #20

Culture comes from the top and Uber's is pretty rotten. I did an interview there this year and it was the most aggressive questioning I've ever had. Two of 5 interviewers were really in my face while architecting systems; it was bizarre and I almost walked out. Nothing compared to the 'cultural' interview where there gave me an example of them knowingly breaking the law because "they knew they were right" and then as…

FWIW, I had a very similar experience and have a friend who had the same. Very off-putting. I was in the second round on-site and more or less felt like I probably had the job in the bag, still at the end when I met w/ the hiring manager I told him I appreciated the time but it wasn't for me. And wow, that pissed him off. Good riddance.

[deleted]

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#142

Post by blfr »

vkou wrote: post #130
blfr wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are consumer protection laws in name only. The laws/rules/regulations that Uber is breaking are first, foremost, and pretty much exclusively protecting the taxi industry.

I'm glad that you feel confident that no background checks, no vehicle inspection checks, no in-between-ride insurance, no transparency into surge pricing, no adherence to accessibility requirements, as well as getting grey-balled off the system (If Uber suspects you work for a municipal government or law enforcement) are run-arounds to spurious, burdensome, and unnecessary laws. I mean, I have the unreasonable expec…

Yes, I've read it all and feel much more confident stepping into an Uber than into a taxi. I'm hardly alone. It's not a rare or unusual view like you're trying to present it.

It's not like Uber is a rape fest touring the world in beat up lemons. In fact, I never even had an impolite conversation with the driver. It's just enforced with a different mechanism than background checks and inspections.

Frankly, I find the American paranoia behind running background checks on everyone much more bizarre than taking a ride in a stranger's car. And I highly doubt their effectiveness in a world where Reality Winner holds a (much harder to come by) security clearance.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#144

Post by blfr »

bjl wrote: post #126
blfr wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't follow or at least I don't see how.

You don't see how a multinational corporation running roughshod over a democratically elected government is a bad thing?

I don't see how your conclusion follows from the premise. And captured regulators are hardly the pinnacle of democracy.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#145

Post by saalweachter »

Balgair wrote: post #73
Stryder wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TK has the unfortunate habit of leaving a trail of history of screwing his employees, and that shit stinks, and sticks. You either: Treat your employees well such that they will go to war for you because protecting your interests is as important as protecting themselves and their own interests. OR Be the unbendable, spotless and ruthlessly calculating leader raising a horde of mindless robots. You churn them out and…

Machiavelli outlined the choice in 'The Prince': To be loved to to be feared? Remember the the conclusion the Italian came to: Fear is more stable, become feared.

In his satirical work.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#146

Post by vkou »

linkregister wrote: post #135
vkou wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad that you feel confident that no background checks, no vehicle inspection checks, no in-between-ride insurance, no transparency into surge pricing, no adherence to accessibility requirements, as well as getting grey-balled off the system (If Uber suspects you work for a municipal government or law enforcement) are run-arounds to spurious, burdensome, and unnecessary laws. I mean, I have the unreasonable expec…

Were the taxi background checks in New York and San Francisco more comprehensive than those done by Uber?

Yes, they were, and yes, they are. Uber wasn't even doing background checks at the start, and they aren't doing fingerprint checks. They are quite literally, matching people's names. This has a huge false positive, and false negative rate.

Never mind that circumventing their background checks is also trivial - many drivers have gotten friends and relatives to create their accounts. This flies under the radar, because Uber doesn't care - they need more drivers.

They could, of course, calm these concerns by being transparent about their process (Or just doing the same that taxi companies do.) They don't, and they aren't, though.

[1] http://valleywag.gawker.com/uber-driver-heres-how-we-get-aro...

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#147

Post by digitaltrees »

zoomzippity wrote: post #18
mothers wrote: post #3

One of his parents died and the other was severely injured, no? Who wouldn't take leave under those circumstances?

Buried at the very very bottom of the article as a footnote. Glossing over the tragedy of unexpectedly losing one's mother and almost losing One's father. The media reporting on Uber absolutely disgusts me and demonstrates a culture far more toxic than anything I've heard about Uber. My bet is that the media doesn't make public any email from Travis about this because it will likely show how the media is grossly misr…

You think this leave is his choice? I haven't seen anything indicating this was initiated by him or that he was setting the terms of the leave. Further, the board explicitly put in place reduced responsibility after he comes back. This seems very much imposed on him.

On a side note, I would love to see sources that show this is really voluntary. I am very curious about this. I actually think the real reason for his ouster is Uber's in ability to become profitable. A voluntary departure would undercut my thesis and I think it is always important to correct analysis.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#148

Post by dullgiulio »

resu_nimda wrote: post #128
dvt wrote: post #21

I really don't buy the Travis Kalanik hate. Yeah, Uber started out as your typical SV unicorn (bro warts and all). Yeah, Uber's entire business model can be described as "grey-area" at best and its business practices as sometimes exploitative. But this is exactly how you're supposed to run a massively successful startup in its first decade. This is exactly how FB started out. And this follows every rule in the startu…

But this is exactly how you're supposed to run a massively successful startup in its first decade. This is exactly how FB started out. And this follows every rule in the startup book to a tee. None of these things are even remotely true. Uber is treated the way it is because the Uber culture and ethos have been uniquely shitty among startup unicorns/tech giants. At this point, I grant you that it's become an overblow…

Well said. I remember when Zuckerberg declared that privacy was a thing of the past. Now Facebook offers the Privacy Checkup once per month, at least.

Everyone kept complaining that drivers were being paid nuts and what did Uber do? Started arbitraging between riders and drivers to get even more out of every ride.

Also, the parent says "successful startup [...] first decade." What is a valid definition of startup? Is Uber starting-up forever?

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#149

Post by vkou »

blfr wrote: post #142
vkou wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad that you feel confident that no background checks, no vehicle inspection checks, no in-between-ride insurance, no transparency into surge pricing, no adherence to accessibility requirements, as well as getting grey-balled off the system (If Uber suspects you work for a municipal government or law enforcement) are run-arounds to spurious, burdensome, and unnecessary laws. I mean, I have the unreasonable expec…

Yes, I've read it all and feel much more confident stepping into an Uber than into a taxi. I'm hardly alone. It's not a rare or unusual view like you're trying to present it. It's not like Uber is a rape fest touring the world in beat up lemons. In fact, I never even had an impolite conversation with the driver. It's just enforced with a different mechanism than background checks and inspections. Frankly, I find the…

Do we need to run background checks on the guy who puts cheese on your taco at Taco Bell? Or on a window-washer? Probably not.

Do we need to run a background check on the guy who may be driving around an intoxicated woman at 3 am in the morning? Yes, yes, and a million times, yes.

Maybe also check to make sure that he doesn't have a few DUIs to his name. Or, you know, a pattern of riders complaining about their driver being buzzed. They aren't even sticking to their own policy, there.

https://www.thefix.com/uber-faces-11-million-fine-over-drunk...

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