Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A profound apology

newsroom.uber.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 406 posts

Re: A profound apology

#171

Post by stouset »

oconnore wrote: post #157
stouset wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Profound has two meanings. You're confusing one meaning ("having great knowledge or insight") with the other ("very great or intense"). "He has profound insights on the topic of healthcare" vs. "Please accept my profound sorrow for your loss".

No. The profound in "please accept my sorrow" is a comment on the depth of your sorrow, something that you are uniquely equipped to describe. "A profound apology follows:" is a comment on how I expect my reader to interpret this message, something I am not at all equipped to describe.

And the "profound" in "please accept my profound apology" can't likewise be a comment on the depth and sincerity of the apology, a trait the issuer is similarly uniquely equipped to describe?

Come on. I get all the backlash against Uber — the outrage they're experiencing is rightly deserved — but this is truly asinine.

Re: A profound apology

#172

Post by middleclick »

philip1209 wrote: post #14

Was there any word on whether Travis banned the driver after that encounter? I heard from employees that, in the early days, he had to be pried away from Twitter due to a propensity for perma-banning those who harshly criticized the company.

Fun fact: according to the article, the driver gave him a 1 star.

Re: A profound apology

#173

Post by brlewis »

mejari wrote: post #165
brian_cunnie wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IIRC, there were two traits that don't seem to change over the course of one's life: gregariousness, and level of anxiety. Traits other than those two can change. Classic example: an alcoholic who becomes sober.

An alcoholic that becomes sober is still an alcoholic, they are just in control over their alcoholism.

A rude person that becomes conscious of the way it comes across to act disrespectfully may still be an rude inside, but if he/she is in control of the disrespectful behavior then I count that as real change.

Re: A profound apology

#174

Post by Hydraulix989 »

unityByFreedom wrote: post #59
M_Grey wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not really "taking responsibility" when it's virtually at gunpoint. Getting caught and subsequent flailing is not the same as "taking responsibility".

Even if there's a gun to your head you can still deny guilt. Taking responsibility is simple. You just say you did something wrong and intend to seek help. Yet, so few people do this, because it is so hard to get those words out. That's exactly what this CEO did. If you don't accept when people admit their mistakes, I'd argue you will only end up surrounding yourself with liars. Everyone makes mistakes.

Usually CEOs don't write their public statements themselves.

Re: A profound apology

#175

Post by Hydraulix989 »

argonaut wrote: post #152
smcmurtry wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Kalanick: You know what? >Kamel: What? >Kalanick: Some people don't like to take responsibility for their own shit. They blame everything in their life on somebody else. I think that is a very insulting and superior thing to say to someone.

Something that struck me is: almost half of the country would disagree with you (the more conservative half). A lot of the American public believes what Kalanick said to be very true when it comes to low-ish income people complaining about what wealthier people do to them.

What a useful spell they are all under then, how could the wealthy ever brainwash them to "buy into" such an exploitative system so effectively?

Re: A profound apology

#177

Post by muzzio »

JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #129
ktRolster wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry Travis; once an asshole, always an asshole; No, people actually do change, you know.

Name some.

How about Bill Gates? Nobody could have seen him being the most prolific philanthropist of all time back when he was leading Microsoft in the 90's.

Re: A profound apology

#178

Post by Hydraulix989 »

unityByFreedom wrote: post #88
M_Grey wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be easy for you, I doubt it's easy for the personality type we find in him.

As lovely as it must be to be the target of the tech world's ire, I wouldn't like to be in his shoes. I imagine he's feeling some pressure. He may be alpha, but he is still just one human.

If I could somehow wake up in his shoes tomorrow, I think I would.

The gullible public will be all over this one by next month.

Even then, I wouldn't be the first rich person to have the masses standing outside my estate carrying pitchforks, it's a real first world (0.001%) problem.

Re: A profound apology

#179

Post by rhizome »

NegativeK wrote: post #140
ktRolster wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry Travis; once an asshole, always an asshole; No, people actually do change, you know.

People do; grandparent's idiom isn't accurate. But I've found that I don't have the mental fortitude to wait for them and see abuse meted out in the meantime. Deliberate assholery once, I'm going to be suspicious for a long, long time. Asshole twice, we're done.

Even so, what do we get for waiting anyway? Uber is easily supplanted, they're not special as a competitive force.
Post reply on HN