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Lyft donates $1M to the ACLU, condemns Trump’s immigration actions

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Re: Lyft donates $1M to the ACLU, condemns Trump’s immigration actions

#31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For convenience, here's a link to the Lyft help page for deleting your account: https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/223281567-Delete-My-... . Unforunately, it's not possible to do yourself. Both Lyft and Uber didn't suspend service to JFK last night because both are 24/7 platforms for anyone to drive and make money. Uber lowered/suspended surge pricing to make it affordable in/around the protests, while Lyft did…

could you post the account setup page please? i've never used lyft, i assume its basically the same service?

It's an inferior service: Much longer waits for a ride, higher fares, tipping, awkward interactions, fewer ride options, buggy (in my experience) phone apps.

Re: Lyft donates $1M to the ACLU, condemns Trump’s immigration actions

#32
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there's a pro-Uber case to be made here. Uber suspended surge pricing at a time when many people were trying to get to the protest at the airport, and while the airtrain was shut down which is what connects the subway system to the airport. Furthermore Uber offered to compensate its drivers who are affected by the ban, if they get stuck outside of the country. Edit: Maybe Uber mis-stepped by honoring requests…

The taxi strike was part of the protest at the airport. Offering reduced pricing was a way to hurt the taxi workers who were losing money to show solitary with the protest. If Uber was trying to help, they should have said so.

edit: Re-reading this, and I realize I missed your point. You're absolutely right -- they did not say "we are cutting surge pricing in support of the protest".

This was my original post for posterity:

"They did say so. This was their tweet:

'Our CEO's reaction to immigration order: "We'll compensate drivers impacted by the ban pro bono for next 3 months." http://ubr.to/standingup'"

Re: Lyft donates $1M to the ACLU, condemns Trump’s immigration actions

#33
post #2

Uber undermining the taxi strike [1] yesterday was pretty visible -- at least in my social circle here in Seattle -- and when Lyft made this announcement we all deleted our Uber accounts. Will that have a material impact on anyone's bottom line? Who knows, but I'd love to see the graphs for new account signups/account deletions. [1] Taxis were not servicing JFK in support of those who were being detained there.

I'm a bit confused by the backlash at Uber. I saw the tweet saying they were suspending surge pricing to JFK. To me that make trips there less likely since drivers would make less. Wouldn't that be a show of solidarity with the temporarily striking taxi drivers union? I guess my question is, how does suspending surge pricing to JFK suggest Uber supports the executive order?

Kalanick spoke out against that EO and condemned it but I think people are angry at him because he was on Trump's advisors team to lobby the admin for favorable economic policies for his interests.

He miscalculated and discounted all the far-right baggage that comes with the Trump admin and therefore he has no one to blame for this misstep except himself.

Re: Lyft donates $1M to the ACLU, condemns Trump’s immigration actions

#34
post #25
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there's a pro-Uber case to be made here. Uber suspended surge pricing at a time when many people were trying to get to the protest at the airport, and while the airtrain was shut down which is what connects the subway system to the airport. Furthermore Uber offered to compensate its drivers who are affected by the ban, if they get stuck outside of the country. Edit: Maybe Uber mis-stepped by honoring requests…

Travis Kalanick, Uber's CEO, made public statements indicating that Uber must work with the Trump administration. Four days later Uber stepped up as scrubs while the rest of the New York's taxi service protested Trump's deplorable racist actions. It's hard to pretend this is a coincidence.

I'm not denying that, and I feel weird defending Uber at all, but then you'd also need to account for why they offered to compensate their drivers affected by this travel ban, and why would they lower their surge pricing. I'm okay with saying that they're trying to play both sides of this.

Re: Lyft donates $1M to the ACLU, condemns Trump’s immigration actions

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a bit confused by the backlash at Uber. I saw the tweet saying they were suspending surge pricing to JFK. To me that make trips there less likely since drivers would make less. Wouldn't that be a show of solidarity with the temporarily striking taxi drivers union? I guess my question is, how does suspending surge pricing to JFK suggest Uber supports the executive order?

A taxi strike is intended to inconvenience people. Uber reducing prices for riders directly contradicts that. (But if I had to guess, I would guess that they were just trying to avoid stories like "Uber profits from Muslim Ban", not making any kind of political statement about it.)

> Uber profits from Muslim Ban.

Yes, This may well be the most important reason they did that. That PR would have far more disastrous for Uber.

Re: Lyft donates $1M to the ACLU, condemns Trump’s immigration actions

#37
post #7

Donald Trump is being powered by conspiracy theorist Steve Bannon, the "Breitbart News" head and board member of Cambridge Analytica, an analytics firm that used psychological profiling to cynically exploit the American electorate. Despite his inexperience and stated desire to "blow things up", he was appointed to an influential national security position, over the Joint Chiefs of Staff [1]. This is an existential th…

Please don't use the phrase "conspiracy theorist" as a term of disparagement or to indicate a particular bias. There are many that investigate conspiracies who have the opposite views of Bannon and are very skeptical and scientific.

You are giving a tool to the unscrupulous to bury conversations by labeling their opponents "conspiracy theorists."

Would you say Edward Snowden is in the same bucket at Bannon?

Re: Lyft donates $1M to the ACLU, condemns Trump’s immigration actions

#38
post #7

Donald Trump is being powered by conspiracy theorist Steve Bannon, the "Breitbart News" head and board member of Cambridge Analytica, an analytics firm that used psychological profiling to cynically exploit the American electorate. Despite his inexperience and stated desire to "blow things up", he was appointed to an influential national security position, over the Joint Chiefs of Staff [1]. This is an existential th…

[deleted]

Re: Lyft donates $1M to the ACLU, condemns Trump’s immigration actions

#39
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything uber does is about money and they aren't afraid to flout the law / custom and "disrupt". They swooped in during a strike. They are scabs. They are obviously doing it to grab money. Their CEO is buddy buddy with Trump.

How much money can they make during a 1 hour strike? Lowering their prices seems like the opposite of making money to me

A one hour strike at one of the busiest airports on the East Coast with NO taxis available? Probably a lot.

The point is you hold a strike to STOP work, not work for less money. That's called scabbing and is the opposite of solidarity.

Re: Lyft donates $1M to the ACLU, condemns Trump’s immigration actions

#40
post #6

Why is a company that is losing money and having what's left of their lunch taken by a gorilla of a competitor (Uber) throwing away $1M like this? If I were an investor in Lyft I'd sue them.

They are meeting their moral obligation.
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