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A solution to the Uber and Airbnb problems that no one will like

nickgrossman.is

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Re: A solution to the Uber and Airbnb problems that no one will like

#31

Post by scottfits »

conanbatt wrote: post #22
danhak wrote: post #17

Uber's problems are not Airbnb's problems, and I find this continued trend of always mentioning the two in the same breath when it comes to regulation quite baffling. Opposition to Uber is a clear case of regulatory capture. Every negative outcome that regulation is meant to mitigate (accountability, safety, reliability, discrimination, non-predatory pricing) is better served by Uber (and two-factor location tracking…

Sorry but there a bunch of reasons to dislike Uber, from how they use the information they gather of you and your location, to all price manipulation it does with surge pricing. Surge pricing is so intransparent that Im 100% sure that has been gamed against the consumer and the drivers in favor of Uber. Not only that, Uber doesnt tell you how much it costs while its going which is also a huge disadvantage for the con…

Wait, Uber's surge pricing is actually very, very good for users because it increases the supply of cars especially at odd hours. If it's 2 AM and you need a ride, thanks to surge pricing, you might find some drivers up late. If you need a ride home from a crowded football game, you'll have to pay a bit more but you'll definitely get a ride soon. Without surge, you'd be waiting a while.

Re: A solution to the Uber and Airbnb problems that no one will like

#32

Post by s73v3r »

"I am not sure there’s a near term alternative to this process — new ways of doing things will never see the light of day if step 1 is always “ask permission”. The answer will nearly always be no, and new ideas won’t have a chance to prove themselves."

Usually the regulations are in place for a reason. Someone has already tried those things. Maybe not "on the internet" or "with an app", but they've been done. Trying to skirt lodging and rental regulation by using your apartments as hotel rooms, bypassing both hotel taxes and rent control is not new.

Re: A solution to the Uber and Airbnb problems that no one will like

#33

Post by s73v3r »

danhak wrote: post #17

Uber's problems are not Airbnb's problems, and I find this continued trend of always mentioning the two in the same breath when it comes to regulation quite baffling. Opposition to Uber is a clear case of regulatory capture. Every negative outcome that regulation is meant to mitigate (accountability, safety, reliability, discrimination, non-predatory pricing) is better served by Uber (and two-factor location tracking…

"Every negative outcome that regulation is meant to mitigate (accountability, safety, reliability, discrimination, non-predatory pricing) is better served by Uber"

No they're not. Try getting an Uber as a handicapped person.

"I have not heard anybody raise compelling objections to Uber's model based on objective harm to consumers or market non-participants (negative externalities)."

Then you have not been listening.

Re: A solution to the Uber and Airbnb problems that no one will like

#34

Post by evunveot »

The solution seems to gloss over the fact that these businesses (with their relaxed licensing requirements and greater freedom to operate) would have to build a real-time government data sharing system before they could operate. Sounds almost like a way to keep smaller competitors out of the market via onerous regulatory requirements, almost the opposite of the stated goal.

Re: A solution to the Uber and Airbnb problems that no one will like

#35

Post by oh_sigh »

wdewind wrote: post #5

This is a nonstarter for Airbnb because if they gave the type of data suggested here you'd be able to extremely easily analyze it and find all the places where illegal sublets were happening, which is a major part of their business. There is no way around Airbnb's problems without changing zoning legislation.

What percentage of units on Airbnb do you think are actually illegal sublets?

Re: A solution to the Uber and Airbnb problems that no one will like

#37

Post by fweespeech »

oh_sigh wrote: post #35
wdewind wrote: post #5

This is a nonstarter for Airbnb because if they gave the type of data suggested here you'd be able to extremely easily analyze it and find all the places where illegal sublets were happening, which is a major part of their business. There is no way around Airbnb's problems without changing zoning legislation.

What percentage of units on Airbnb do you think are actually illegal sublets?

http://nypost.com/2014/04/21/two-thirds-of-citys-airbnb-rent...

> Nearly two-thirds of the city apartments recently listed on Airbnb were being offered in violation of the law, an analysis by state authorities has found.

> The study of data from the subletting service’s own Web site showed 64 percent of its 19,500-plus offerings for Jan. 31 covered an “entire apartment,” says an affidavit from the state Attorney General’s Office.

There is no way to really know without being AirBnb + knowing which apartment complexes sublet illegally.

But...at least in NYC, 64%.

Re: A solution to the Uber and Airbnb problems that no one will like

#38

Post by Daishiman »

afsina wrote: post #13
Daishiman wrote: post #3

Ahh, yes, the Randian ideology of the self-regulating data-driven, no-bullshit enterprise, because governments are Big and Bad and will stifle the hardworking man in their attempts to do right for society.

They sure doing better than Government regulation so far. What is your point behind sarcasm anyway?

Most industries are not self-regulating. If they were we wouldn't need the equivalents of the EPA and OSHA. Or the car regulations that force a minimum standard of safety. And so on and so forth.

Re: A solution to the Uber and Airbnb problems that no one will like

#39

Post by snowwrestler »

This doesn't actually solve the problems.

Businesses have used real-time data for decades to optimize their processes, and that's all we're seeing referenced in this post. Setting aside the question of whether Uber drivers are "employees," they are certainly inside the business model, and so is the data about their performance.

But the reasons we have regulations is that business optimizations can be counter to social goals. And knowing about a bad thing doesn't allow one to go back in time and fix it.

Re: A solution to the Uber and Airbnb problems that no one will like

#40

Post by exelius »

This article makes an assumption that regulation is a tool used to protect consumers. While the rhetoric may be to make it sound that way, most regulation exists to protect incumbents who stand to lose money. This is just how governments have always worked; which is why driving accountability in government is so hard.
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