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Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

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Re: Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

#151

Post by frandroid »

schuman wrote: post #71
tim333 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They should probably fire Emil Michael or similar. The "spending 'a million dollars' to hire four top opposition researchers and four journalists. .... they’d look into “your personal lives, your families,” and give the media a taste of its own medicine" proposal is a bit out of order. The money to throw $1m around that kind of way comes from Google and like investors and they could object that they don't want to be…

App was a great step forward, but it's clear they have a poisoned culture. Emil isn't a bad apple, he's the same as the rest of the barrel.

Anyway, the idiom is "one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel."

Re: Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

#152

Post by webXL »

Here we go again, more Uber drama. The only reason why this is a story is the (pardon the term) disruption of a protected industry, and the misplaced attention on the supply-side. Consumers are awash in convenience and choice right now, but the media and the politicos protecting the industry are ignoring that and going after the biggest member of the disruption so that it can be controlled.

I'm sure there are sleazy execs at Uber, but if the media pointed its glare at any other similar-sized company, I'm sure it would find them there, too. Uber may have more because it has grown so fast. It would behoove of them to start cleaning house so that this type of story doesn't kill the golden goose.

Re: Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

#153

Post by [deleted] »

webXL wrote: post #152

Here we go again, more Uber drama. The only reason why this is a story is the (pardon the term) disruption of a protected industry, and the misplaced attention on the supply-side. Consumers are awash in convenience and choice right now, but the media and the politicos protecting the industry are ignoring that and going after the biggest member of the disruption so that it can be controlled. I'm sure there are sleazy…

[deleted]

Re: Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

#154

Post by [deleted] »

throwaway09F911 wrote: post #140
Asparagirl wrote: post #3

Attempting to blackmail the press if they challenge your company's PR? Specifically targeting parents' worst fears by threatening to reveal details of the location of their children? Openly rifling through the location metadata of another female journalist, a customer of theirs, without her consent? Implicitly saying they'll leak customer data of Uber customers who are journalists, the kind of thing that can potentia…

I'm writing this as a throwaway because this feels like mob and pitchforks. I'm a regular here and have no ties to Uber except using it. This whole story feels like they took a frustrated guy venting at dinner and making it into a conspiracy. Meanwhile, Sarah Lacey comments publicly and insultingly on people's political positions, emotions, and dating life. What the man said was very stupid. But it feels a lot like,…

[deleted]

Re: Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

#155

Post by DontBeADick »

Asparagirl wrote: post #146
DontBeADick wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Uber explicitly talked about going after reporters' families. > The obvious implication is that they were going after her kids. Obvious implication? I think it's more of a convenient assumption you're making to suit your own personal grudge against Uber. The comments he made were clearly idiotic, but your eagerness to interpret them in the most extreme and sensational way possible is no better.

Please explain the NON "extreme and sensational" way to interpret comments talking about spending one million dollars to target, intimidate, and smear the press and to dig up dirt on their families. What's really cute is that even Uber doesn't even deny that this happened. No, that's all on you, dear HN commenter.

Your last 7 tweets were bashing Uber. You completely made up the "threatening to reveal the location of children" part.

It's clear you're just another bored, delusional social justice warrior who wants to make a cause out of nothing.

Sorry I don't share your hatred for Uber or your willingness to distort the truth to serve a personal agenda.

Re: Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

#156

Post by metaphorm »

throwaway09F911 wrote: post #140
Asparagirl wrote: post #3

Attempting to blackmail the press if they challenge your company's PR? Specifically targeting parents' worst fears by threatening to reveal details of the location of their children? Openly rifling through the location metadata of another female journalist, a customer of theirs, without her consent? Implicitly saying they'll leak customer data of Uber customers who are journalists, the kind of thing that can potentia…

I'm writing this as a throwaway because this feels like mob and pitchforks. I'm a regular here and have no ties to Uber except using it. This whole story feels like they took a frustrated guy venting at dinner and making it into a conspiracy. Meanwhile, Sarah Lacey comments publicly and insultingly on people's political positions, emotions, and dating life. What the man said was very stupid. But it feels a lot like,…

a journalist's job often involves being "rude". some journalists specialize in "rude" reporting. scrutinizing powerful and wealthy people is one of the legitimate roles of a journalist, even when it comes across as "rude".

powerful and wealthy people NEED to be scrutinized. when we do, we often discover that they are sociopathic scum like several of the executives at Uber have turned out to be.

Re: Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

#157

Post by teacup50 »

ghshephard wrote: post #95

I would love to know if http://blog.uber.com/applepay means that Uber won't be able to track who they are taking to various locations. That alone would be a big win for Apple Pay.

That's not how Apple Pay works; other than using a proxy CC# and hiding your info from the actual sales clerk, Apple Pay isn't more private than magstripe cards — merchants can still identify you, and it actually adds another party to the transaction: Apple.

Re: Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

#158

Post by tokipona »

tim333 wrote: post #66
Asparagirl wrote: post #3

Attempting to blackmail the press if they challenge your company's PR? Specifically targeting parents' worst fears by threatening to reveal details of the location of their children? Openly rifling through the location metadata of another female journalist, a customer of theirs, without her consent? Implicitly saying they'll leak customer data of Uber customers who are journalists, the kind of thing that can potentia…

They should probably fire Emil Michael or similar. The "spending 'a million dollars' to hire four top opposition researchers and four journalists. .... they’d look into “your personal lives, your families,” and give the media a taste of its own medicine" proposal is a bit out of order. The money to throw $1m around that kind of way comes from Google and like investors and they could object that they don't want to be…

Emil was quite specific too. One million dollars, four researchers and four journalists... this isn't an off-the-cuff comment but something he has deliberated over.

Re: Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

#159

Post by potatolicious »

MrBuddyCasino wrote: post #138
pjc50 wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It could just as easily be banned on a consumer level: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ag-gag http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_libel_laws

Wow, thats horrible. The US needs an organization that goes after the careers of politicians that pass those kinds of laws, thats the only way to stop them. Still, there must be ways to protect such information as freedom of speech?

> "The US needs an organization that goes after the careers of politicians that pass those kinds of laws, thats the only way to stop them."

We have many of them, and we used to have more: journalists and news organizations. The press is supposed to serve as a very wide barrier against gross abuses.

But of course, we - not just politicians, but all of us - have spent the last few decades throwing our wallets at the least journalistic news outlets and away from the ones conducting actual investigation and reporting.

We very much made the bed we are sleeping in right now.

Re: Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists

#160

Post by DontBeADick »

throwaway09F911 wrote: post #140
Asparagirl wrote: post #3

Attempting to blackmail the press if they challenge your company's PR? Specifically targeting parents' worst fears by threatening to reveal details of the location of their children? Openly rifling through the location metadata of another female journalist, a customer of theirs, without her consent? Implicitly saying they'll leak customer data of Uber customers who are journalists, the kind of thing that can potentia…

I'm writing this as a throwaway because this feels like mob and pitchforks. I'm a regular here and have no ties to Uber except using it. This whole story feels like they took a frustrated guy venting at dinner and making it into a conspiracy. Meanwhile, Sarah Lacey comments publicly and insultingly on people's political positions, emotions, and dating life. What the man said was very stupid. But it feels a lot like,…

Not to mention the fact that Asparagirl has intentionally interpreted his comments in the most sensational way possible, even going so far as to fabricate threats.

"Look into your personal lives, your families" somehow magically became:

> threatening to reveal details of the location of their children

There's clearly a great deal of stupidity on both sides here.

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