Peter Thiel: Uber is most ethically challenged company in Silicon Valley [video]

So, I think you're putting words in his mouth suggesting these comments are anti-monopoly in this sense. I don't think in the abstract he's saying he's against a company like Uber striving for market domination.. he's just saying they crossed a line in that pursuit.

As for AirBnB I think the Uber vs AirBnB comparison is a really fair one. AirBnB is a very similar example of a company doing serious disruption and facing pretty severe friction in the form of established lobbies and laws... but they've not been accused of threatening journalists, hoteliers, or anyone else who's challenged them. That's the distinction being made here.

There are lots of startups that appear to be really riding the line that I think Thiel is identifying here (AirBnB, Tesla, and 23andMe come to mind) by taking risks in the name of getting innovative services to customers, not in the name of providing air-cover for cashing in at the expense of their users.

The problem is that what you have written is useless. Your claim is that in a capitalist world, Uber has to do anything "no matter how ethically questionable they are."

But presumably there is some ethical line, even for you. For instance, outright fraud, overt criminal acts, smear campaigns against families of journalists -- some or all of these might be a problem for you or for even an ardent devotee of Ayn Rand.

Which leads us right back to the original question.

In the context of the rest of the video and other stuff Thiel has said, I interpreted that statement to mean that rule breaking is not necessarily immoral but a company like Uber can get carried away and what is essentially a "culture" of rule breaking meant to undermine unjust regulations becomes one meant to undermine competition at any cost.

It's funny you bring up Palantir. I learned a bit about it today and still don't quite see what it adds to things.

> Meanwhile, Facebook is pretty much the most evil and dangerous company in the Valley

Oh, come on. You're just being a sore loser.

> Look, nobody owes anyone a paycheck for their business model -- you gotta show up to work and earn it, just like everyone else. Taxi companies may not exist in 50 years, and the people involved just have to adapt to figure out what to do next. As for the people driving for Uber -- again, look, it's their prerogative to enter into financial situations that are not sustainable long-term; nobody is forcing anyone to ride for these guys.

Labor regulations exist for a reason; so some asshole from Silicon Valley doesn't turn a non-insignificant part of the population into Slaves-As-A-Service. Just because Uber is lying to people about possible wages doesn't make it right [1] [2] [3].

> I believe in morals and ethics. I believe in what is right. There is NOTHING immoral about Uber. Maybe they are aggressive and crazy, but maybe you haven't seen how every single multi-billion-dollar business looks like from the inside. If anything, I find it refreshing to see Uber be so transparent in their sentiments; the sort of completely unethical and fucking evil shit rubber-stamped by Peter Thiel during the evolution of Facebook should be far more concerning.

"I don't believe in evil.....but everyone else is doing it!"

I'm not here to hero worship Thiel; honestly, I couldn't care less about VCs in the Valley. Uber is an amalgamation of everything that's wrong with the startup scene (Frat house culture, "win at all costs", disrupt no matter what the law is); the faster they burn through their VC money and sputter out, the better.

[1] http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-drivers-say-theyre-makin...

[2] http://ktla.com/2014/09/09/uber-drivers-protest-unfair-wages...

[3] http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2014/10/uber...