Are we the baddies?

Post by Y-bar » Mon, Jul 07, 2025, 8:43 AM UTC

wellthisisgreat wrote: post #345

Y-bar wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember the time before Uber arrived here, where ”here” obviously is not USA. I don’t mind the old ways. Taxis had apps before Uber arrived here, they had geolocation with ETA, contactless payment, up-front pricing, and never refused service (because they were required by law to offer service to anyone anywhere). The problem probably never was incumbent taxis, it was how they were regulated (or not).

> Taxis had apps before Uber arrived here, they had geolocation with ETA, contactless payment, up-front pricing, and never refused service (because they were required by law to offer service to anyone anywhere). I lived in NYC and other metropolitan US cities for the few years before the Uber and I don’t remember a single car service that had any of that and wasn’t a lottery of if they’ll pick up the phone in time to…

Post by grafmax » Mon, Jul 07, 2025, 9:54 AM UTC

hammond wrote: post #395

The author should start with his own product, which stops working if it doesn't connect to the internet at least every 14 days. https://github.com/commaai/openpilot/blob/a8ec08e5bbc2be0a32...

Post by account42 » Mon, Jul 07, 2025, 10:05 AM UTC

const_cast wrote: post #463

southernplaces7 wrote: post #450

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You ARE hurting the underpaid, exploited worker. What? No, you're not hurting anyone. You're going out to eat and expecting to pay for what you ordered, not the life subsidy of someone whose employer can't be bothered to pay them well enough. Either way, it's not and shouldn't be your obligation even if it does screw with the waiter's finances. I too might have financial squeezes that make it difficult for me to fo…

> What? No, you're not hurting anyone. You are, and it's objective. Does this worker have more, or less, money than before? It's not a matter of opinion. The answer is less, and we know that's the answer because that's specifically what you're seeking out. What you're arguing is if this harm is justified. Maybe, maybe not. In your opinion, it is. My opinion is that the marginal effects of me not tipping will have zer…

Post by account42 » Mon, Jul 07, 2025, 11:04 AM UTC

seydor wrote: post #59

anon7000 wrote: post #55

Today I visited the shit website known as Fandom, and within a second of scrolling the page, the entire page was ads. Not joking: https://imgur.com/a/8QzBZGM — and it’s not a contrived example, this is the first thing that happened after reaching the page via a search for some character in a show. This is the default new user experience for Fandom, at least some portion of the time. How is this acceptable to the empl…

ads are the most benign form of extraction. They attack your attention but that's just about it. The manipulative algorithms, the walled garden, the subscriptions , the extractive surcharges, the anticompetitive rules , those came after ads and they are far worse and far more profitable. Wish we could go back to a free, ad-supported internet, but the whole internet is now a front for stockholder ponzi schemes.

Post by CuriouslyC » Mon, Jul 07, 2025, 11:14 AM UTC

jksflkjl3jk3 wrote: post #484

CuriouslyC wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber is more expensive than a cab in almost all Asian countries, often by a lot. Grab is a bit better, the margin tends to be pretty slim. The main benefit of Uber to me in Asia is that you don't get a taxi driver who tries to skip the meter and extort you, which is a surprisingly common phenomenon.

Uber doesn't even operate in most Asian countries. They made deals with Grab 7-8 years ago to not compete in the same markets. In which country is Uber more expensive?