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In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver Over Falling Fares

bloomberg.com

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Re: In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver Over Falling Fares

#161

Post by martinald »

PeterisP wrote: post #120
unityByFreedom wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think releasing the video was right. Regarding Uber black, another HN user points out, > Travis is right on a technicality they did not lower Uber Black prices much if any. What they did instead was coerced Uber Black drivers to take Uber X request. Yes drivers can reject Uber X request, but if you reject a certain amount of Uber rides, they kick you off their system. Probably why the driver is complaining ab…

If the consumers are voting with their wallets that they want more Uber X rides and less Uber Black rides, well, that's what should happen. To bring supply back in line with demand, some drivers who used to drive Uber Black should either leave or downgrade, and if they won't do it willingly, then some drivers going bankrupt is a way how the market forces "driver supply" to go in the direction where it apparently need…

What a bizarre way of looking at it. There's vastly more economy class passengers on a plane; but it doesn't mean that first or business passengers don't exist.

You are right that some drivers going bankrupt is how the market would correct, but forcing them to take uberx fares at below cost is a dreadful idea and definitely not free market economics. If anything, it's like a govt regulation that requires businesses to do some stuff below cost to still be in the game.

Re: In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver Over Falling Fares

#162

Post by knorby »

Cookingboy wrote: post #87
timthelion wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Filming him without acknowledging it was totally immoral, To me this is a very classist oppinion. Normal people are filmed as they take the bus, ride the subway, go on the elevator, walk through the graveyard (seriously), go shopping, so why should a rich person who can afford a cab be granted an exclusive right to privacy which the rest of us don't have? If we promote this case due to the expectation of privacy th…

"Normal people are filmed as they take the bus, ride the subway, go on the elevator, walk through the graveyard (seriously), go shopping, so why should a rich person who can afford a cab be granted an exclusive right to privacy which the rest of us don't have?" What are you talking about? Normal, non-rich people totally have the same expectation of privacy when they take a cab. Would YOU be ok if your cab driver film…

A lot of TNC drivers have cameras pointed into the car, some (but not all) with signs indicating the passenger is being filmed. It is even more standard in real taxis. The expectation of privacy is more that such footage in any of the mentioned circumstances would never be released unless it captured someone committing a crime or something similar.

Re: In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver Over Falling Fares

#163

Post by timthelion »

This is a kind of categorical thinking, which is sometimes misatributed as being "autistic". You have a clear logical distinction, I'll grant you that. You have a declaration of your opinion, which on its face seems resonable. But you fail to examine the details of the situation. You are reducing your morality to a few simple and rigid rules.

Those rules can be seen as something akin to a computer program. If your moral rules are simple, they are like a simple computer program. Are simple computer programs inteligent? Do you want to decide what is right and wrong based on a few lines of "moral code"? Or do you want to use the entirety of your brain power to analyse each sitauation and think whether something is right or wrong in a given concrete case?

Re: In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver Over Falling Fares

#164

Post by strathmeyer »

seertaak wrote: post #46

This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but I actually thought the driver was exceedingly rude. He clearly took advantage of Kalanick being in the public eye, and thus a "target". Filming him without acknowledging it was totally immoral, it should reduce any fair person's bayesian priors as to the credibility of the driver. I'm no fan of Kalanick, but I thought he comported himself reasonably, taking the time to…

Gee how are you going to catch anyone doing something immoral if you warn them before they do it? Not sure what you are trying to say about bayesian priors, but when you say untrue things it ruins your credibility. Not sure why people are upvoting you. Yeah, bad people hate it when you talk about the things you do. Fortunately, like the PewDiePie incident, famous people can't ruin others just because they are upset they reveal the things they do.

Re: In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver Over Falling Fares

#165

Post by Joky »

neaden wrote: post #139
PeterisP wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the consumers are voting with their wallets that they want more Uber X rides and less Uber Black rides, well, that's what should happen. To bring supply back in line with demand, some drivers who used to drive Uber Black should either leave or downgrade, and if they won't do it willingly, then some drivers going bankrupt is a way how the market forces "driver supply" to go in the direction where it apparently need…

IANAL but my understanding is that this sort of are claiming Uber drivers are employees vs. contractors. If they are contractors then they should be able to refuse rides from a different class freely and without any sort of punishment.

I'm following till "without any sort of punishment", there I'm lost. If I have a contract with a gardener that is servicing me for watering my yard, but then I also need to have my lawn mowed. If I ask him about providing this service and he declines, what's wrong with finding another gardener willing to provide the service I need?

Re: In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver Over Falling Fares

#166

Post by pyrale »

Cookingboy wrote: post #87
timthelion wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Filming him without acknowledging it was totally immoral, To me this is a very classist oppinion. Normal people are filmed as they take the bus, ride the subway, go on the elevator, walk through the graveyard (seriously), go shopping, so why should a rich person who can afford a cab be granted an exclusive right to privacy which the rest of us don't have? If we promote this case due to the expectation of privacy th…

"Normal people are filmed as they take the bus, ride the subway, go on the elevator, walk through the graveyard (seriously), go shopping, so why should a rich person who can afford a cab be granted an exclusive right to privacy which the rest of us don't have?" What are you talking about? Normal, non-rich people totally have the same expectation of privacy when they take a cab. Would YOU be ok if your cab driver film…

> What are you talking about? Normal, non-rich people totally have the same expectation of privacy when they take a cab.

"In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread."

Re: In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver Over Falling Fares

#167

Post by rhizome »

hsod wrote: post #101
chickenfries wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This will probably be an unpopular opinion Well what do you know, at the time of writing this, it's the top comment! > The fact that the footage of him with two women wasn't cut out is frankly disgusting and a total invasion of his privacy. He didn't do anything wrong except flirt a bit. How tawdry of Bloomberg to show that material. It's relevant because he said things like this: “That’s kind of how I roll. I make…

> I think I would be okay with being filmed as long as it wasn't secret. Would you be OK with the video being published on a major news site?

If my character and ethics were newsworthy over the recent term, I'd hope to be prepared for it. Other celebrities are.

"Character is what you do when you think nobody will find out."

Re: In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver Over Falling Fares

#169

Post by dragontamer »

frgtpsswrdlame wrote: post #121
erdojo wrote: post #31

I believe the driver was itching for a confrontation (he stopped Kalanick as he was getting out of the car to start the conversation). It was only after being berated for a minute or two and interrupted that Kalanick's composure started to crack. Before then, I don't think anything Kalanick could have said would have mollified this driver. He had an axe and he was going to grind it. Kalanick could have handled it bet…

Where else should he grind it? Kalanick is the CEO. He made a decision which affects this mans livelihood. Kalanick certainly gets paid enough to face up to people like this. And if he wants to stop facing up to it, maybe he can do something about their pay.

> Kalanick is the CEO.

And the driver is not an employee. Yeah, I know this has been discussed a lot of times, but the way Uber is set up, there's absolutely no reason for Kalanick to give an Eff about the driver's situation.

And indeed: the loyalty cuts both ways. Uber drivers can immediately drop Uber and simply work for Lyft. They have complete and utter independence from the Uber company.

Its just the nature of how Uber has been set up. I understand the driver's frustration, but what more does the driver expect?

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