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Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

nytimes.com

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Re: Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

#111

Post by SquishyPanda23 »

georgewfraser wrote: post #35

> The start-up world projects a meritocratic image, but in reality, it is a small, tightknit club where success typically hinges on whom you know. This is...so not true. My co-founder and I had hardly any network in SV. We applied to YC through the website, raised seed money after demo day. We ran on seed + revenue up to about 60 employees and we recently did a series A. If you don’t have a network, don’t be dissuade…

The sentence you quote says "typically hinges", but your evidence is a single anecdote.

You would need more data before concluding it is not true.

Re: Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

#112

Post by detaro »

0815test wrote: post #101
detaro wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the acronym comes from stock markets, when FAANG were hot tech stocks. Microsoft already was old and boring at that point, so didn't count.

Isn't Apple about as old as Microsoft? Or is it "Amazon & Airbnb"?

"hot" doesn't necessarily mean new: Amazon also wasn't new on the stock markets, but it was on a clear upwards trend, as was Apple. Apple had iPhones/iPads, entirely new worlds, Microsoft had ... yet another Windows?

Re: Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

#113

Post by lazyasciiart »

rco8786 wrote: post #83
Zhenya wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well you stepped right into it. You need a TON of permits to open a restaurant and you can not open in your house, it has to be in a commercial space. Furthermore, you are free to open your own hotel. You just need to do it in a commercial zoned area since you are doing commercial things.

Technology has always outrun regulation. It’s not any different in these cases. Regulators will catch up as they always have. This, truly, is how progress has been made since the dawn of time. You’re taking the same position people took against the printing press, automobiles, and computers when they were all in their infancy. Restaurants in people’s homes were incredibly common until health regulators showed up.

Regulation was way ahead of airbnb here. Enforcement had to catch up.

Re: Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

#114

Post by joeblow9999 »

uwuhn wrote: post #109
bosie wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Let's not forget the model is innovative, and a vast improvement on the old way of getting a ride. I am genuinely not trying to be play dumb but what is the innovation or vast improvement? Apps like mytaxi were pretty much showing up before/after uber came to light, without violating laws or exploiting folks. Also, how does such a claim get balanced to the vast financial loss they seem to be accumulating? > created…

As someone who uses Uber and Lyft on a daily basis, and has done so for the past three years, their existence has measurably made my life better. Taxis were never an option due to a combination of cost, time, and inconvenience.

How is this possibly downvoted? I suspect only a political agenda could be the cause but I'm willing to hear otherwise.

Re: Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

#115

Post by [deleted] »

yaacov wrote: post #58
georgewfraser wrote: post #35

> The start-up world projects a meritocratic image, but in reality, it is a small, tightknit club where success typically hinges on whom you know. This is...so not true. My co-founder and I had hardly any network in SV. We applied to YC through the website, raised seed money after demo day. We ran on seed + revenue up to about 60 employees and we recently did a series A. If you don’t have a network, don’t be dissuade…

New York Times has had a consistently anti-tech slant the last few years. I don’t know the reason for it, but I find it very annoying

[deleted]

Re: Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

#116

Post by cm2012 »

uwuhn wrote: post #109
bosie wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Let's not forget the model is innovative, and a vast improvement on the old way of getting a ride. I am genuinely not trying to be play dumb but what is the innovation or vast improvement? Apps like mytaxi were pretty much showing up before/after uber came to light, without violating laws or exploiting folks. Also, how does such a claim get balanced to the vast financial loss they seem to be accumulating? > created…

As someone who uses Uber and Lyft on a daily basis, and has done so for the past three years, their existence has measurably made my life better. Taxis were never an option due to a combination of cost, time, and inconvenience.

I'll second that - it was literally life changing for me.

Plus, drunk driving deaths are down like 30% nationwide. Tens of thousands of lives saved.

Re: Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

#117

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

40acres wrote: post #10

This is the cycle of Silicon Valley at play, and an example why despite the Exodus of many entrepreneurs and engineers SV is still the leader in software based start ups. Take the "PayPal mafia" for instance, out of one successful company spawned others -- SpaceX, LinkedIn, Facebook (via investment cash). These companies will spawn others, so on and so forth. It's a cycle that feeds upon itself and has been a success…

One thing I'd like to highlight is that this cycle is most definitely impossible in any locale with enforceable non-competes and non-solicits.

For example, Texas loves to tout its "business friendly" atmosphere, but I have personally seen people get sued over non-competes and, much worse, non-solicits. Meanwhile, see what's happening in California: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/...

Re: Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

#118

Post by hyperpallium »

georgewfraser wrote: post #35

> The start-up world projects a meritocratic image, but in reality, it is a small, tightknit club where success typically hinges on whom you know. This is...so not true. My co-founder and I had hardly any network in SV. We applied to YC through the website, raised seed money after demo day. We ran on seed + revenue up to about 60 employees and we recently did a series A. If you don’t have a network, don’t be dissuade…

You know YC. Would you have done as well without that network? How well do non-YC startups fare?

OTOH, YC entry is meritocratic.

Re: Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

#119

Post by JesseAldridge »

habosa wrote: post #104

I have a hard time verbalizing it but something about Uber creating all these millionaires sickens me. In no order: * The business is fundamentally based on ignoring the law. * They've done nothing but lose money, more than any private company ever. * The money keeping them afloat is very dirty (mostly from Saudi Arabia) * The culture is well-known to be awful. * The drivers are completely exploited, working long day…

* They created a transportation network that enables a huge chunk of the world to get from point A to point B quickly, safely, and cheaply.

> something about Uber creating all these millionaires sickens me

This feeling is called envy.

Re: Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave

#120

Post by DeonPenny »

georgewfraser wrote: post #35

> The start-up world projects a meritocratic image, but in reality, it is a small, tightknit club where success typically hinges on whom you know. This is...so not true. My co-founder and I had hardly any network in SV. We applied to YC through the website, raised seed money after demo day. We ran on seed + revenue up to about 60 employees and we recently did a series A. If you don’t have a network, don’t be dissuade…

It absolutely is a network. You just got lucky enough to join one. Without that connection is pretty hard to get started without going to Stanford or knowing someone.
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