Uber board: We accept all recommendations. Any execs left to carry them out? Uber's board has accepted all the recommendations made in a report into sexual harassment – which may include giving its controversial CEO a leave of absence. The report by former attorney general Eric Holder was discussed over the weekend by the ride-hailing app's directors, and the decision to agree to every recommendation …
How will they ever make money in a business world that is built on ripping people off one way or another? That isn't how the system works. As for the sexual harassment, it isn't about just changing the management, it's about changing the culture of the 'valley'. There is still a very long way to go.
The 'tech bro' culture isn't a traditional part of silicon valley. Instead it seems to be centered at San Francisco tech start-ups. Those companies compete for recent graduates with outrageously luxurious and lax work environments, but expect everyone to put in extreme hours. Much like hazing at frats, with no one older around to limit behavior it becomes self-reinforcing.
Most established silicon valley companies have the opposite of tech bro culture: they are politically correct to the extreme in public, with a barely hidden under-current of anti-women sentiment from the immigrant Asian and Indian workers. (Yeah, I better check the 'Post anonymous' box.)
Uber isn't making money with their business, despite ripping off drivers and customers. They've lost billions so far. The money that's been made by those at the top is by getting all the attention to bring in additional rounds of VC money to finance their billions in losses, and cash outs by those at the top.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels ambivalent about them ripping off Sand Hill Road...
...is what it looks to me.
Someone made an observation that in reality, you can't make even "minimum wage" (about $10/hr unless higher) driving for UBER. That takes into account cost of gas petrol and other expenses. Sorry, I don't have the source, but considering that Uber takes around 25% of the fare, it might be right.
Easy if you lie, cheat and under pay.
Amazon, Lyft, eBay, Facebook, Google, AirBnB, Uber etc need to face the same taxes, insurance and regulation as any retailer or newspaper or services in the street. Using the "internet" as an interface or being multinational should be irrelevant.
Law needs changed too so that people making immoral or illegal decisions can't be insulated by being Council, Government, Civil Service or Company Executives. That is not why "limited liability" was invented. Though the problem on unscrupulous people ripping people off via shell companies is in both Dickens and more clearly Anthony Trollop's "The way we live now."
People making bad decisions need to be found personally liable if found guilty rather than fining a company or a council (which the public will be paying for!)
Exactly when was the generally harmless little word "on" cast into the outer darkness
Two words "American English". Sometime after the founding, they decided to simplify English so that all the non-English-speaking immigrants had an easier time to learn it. Plus, all those immigrants introduced quirks from their native languages into American English (same happens in regional variation of British English too - just look at the odd grammar used in Cornwall - something that derives from the structures of Cornish).
That's the great thing about English - it's borged soo many other languages that it's incredibly flexible. It's also extremely hard to learn as a second language (or, as some of my colleages attest to - as a first language..)
@ CrazyOldCatMan: Two words "American English"!
Has - in a sense - always been with us, but the missing "on" is something that I have only become concious of relatively recently. With most immigration into the US being historical rather than recent I suspect other influences.
By way of example: US TV news drops into a sort of patois to make the presentation pacy, racy, hip, and trendy even when the topic makes that little short of inappropriate. The "excluded on" is commonplace.
Also the relatively recent horrors of
Q: How are you?
A: I'm good thanks.
and
Can I get a cup of ...? (which always makes me want to run screaming from the premises)
I don't think either can be attributed to US immigration.
Abominations all...
Edit: "Oxford Comma" included just to be, er, annoying.
How did they come up with the 50 billion evaluation?
Ford is worth 45 billion...
Uber's software is worth something, but significant parts are stolen. The number of drivers are worth something, but they'd need to be re-vetted if there was a buyout of Uber (to avoid huge liability).
Uber has been involved in a lot of nasty things, it's hard to imagine them worth more than 5 billion.
What are the barriers of entry for someone like Ford to enter the business? Until self driving cars are a reality, it's probably not worth the liability (of buying Uber) at any price.
Uber chief to take leave from company
"Uber boss Travis Kalanick plans to take time away from the company, and could return in a diminished role."
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
