Tech Nightmares: Ghostline the flux

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How many quarters after Q1 2016 till Marissa Mayer is unemployed?
	1 or fewer
	2
	4
	Her job is guaranteed; what are you even talking about?

Groovelord Neato: Dec 6, 2014

i know softbank invests in everything but where did they see the payoff with uber?

# ? Sep 4, 2019 13:25

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# ? May 10, 2024 16:52

Raenir Salazar: Nov 5, 2010; College Slice

Doggles posted:

But in other news, Uber argues that their drivers' names are company property,

I hate this dystopian future we're slowly inching towards.

How can this be argued without encroaching on the first amendment rights of their drivers to have a linkedin account?

# ? Sep 4, 2019 14:30

Mr. Fall Down Terror: Jan 24, 2018; by Fluffdaddy

uber isn't arguing they own their drivers names. they are arguing that a list of drivers is a trade secret, since a researcher was trying to get a list of uber/lyft drivers to use as a dataset

# ? Sep 4, 2019 14:32

Heck Yes! Loam!: Nov 15, 2004; a rich, friable soil containing a relatively equal mixture of sand and silt and a somewhat smaller proportion of clay.

luxury handset posted:

uber isn't arguing they own their drivers names. they are arguing that a list of drivers is a trade secret, since a researcher was trying to get a list of uber/lyft drivers to use as a dataset

Clearly this is no different than Mitt Romney's Binders Full of Women.

# ? Sep 4, 2019 16:07

UCS Hellmaker: Mar 29, 2008; Toilet Rascal

luxury handset posted:

uber isn't arguing they own their drivers names. they are arguing that a list of drivers is a trade secret, since a researcher was trying to get a list of uber/lyft drivers to use as a dataset

Said researcher actually works in the Insurance industry and data will be used to fix the obvious issues
:v:

# ? Sep 4, 2019 17:11

PhazonLink: Jul 17, 2010

isnt one of their arguments, "to make sure other driving services dont steal their dudes" moot since drivers in this industry already have all the apps competitors?

# ? Sep 4, 2019 17:19

UCS Hellmaker: Mar 29, 2008; Toilet Rascal

PhazonLink posted:

isnt one of their arguments, "to make sure other driving services dont steal their dudes" moot since drivers in this industry already have all the apps competitors?

Yes almost all the drivers are using multiple apps, benefit of the GIG economy and another reason they can't say the list of drivers is trade secret.

# ? Sep 4, 2019 17:26

Trabisnikof: Dec 24, 2005

Of course Uber had a program where they'd schedule fake rides on lyft to gently caress over drivers using the lyft app

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/08/uber-accused-of-booking-thousands-of-fake-rides-with-rival-lyft/375936/

quote:

Uber may be one of the hottest startup companies in the country, but its aggressive tactics aren't worth five stars. The car-hailing service has once again been accused of interfering in the business of competitors by booking rides through their apps and then canceling them at the last minute. The company's employees � 177 of them � have allegedly ordered and cancelled 5,560 rides with rival ridesharing service Lyft since October last year.

Lyft released the data to CNN Money, which had been reporting a story on the competition between the two companies. In it, the company says it cross-referenced phone numbers associated with known Uber recruiters with the ones listed for accounts that canceled rides.

These so-called "phantom requests" have snowballed since October, with one Lyft passenger canceling 300 rides between May 26 and June 10. The passenger, who Lyft claims has been identified as an Uber recruiter, used a phone number that linked to 21 other accounts, boosting the total to 1,524 canceled rides.

It's not just creating multiple accounts and then ordering and canceling rides. Lyft also points to evidence of Uber recruiters obviously attempting to conceal their identity. One employee, the company said, used a different name on his account.

En masse, the phantom calls create a domino effect in slashing Lyft's income: For one thing, it limits drivers' availability to get fares by sending them on a wild goose chase for a customer when they could have been picking up real riders, while the lower availability of drivers also creates surge pricing for other Lyft users. Not only that, but Lyft loses money on gas, and drivers become dissatisfied with the fewer rides and low income. All of this � availability, wasted money, dissatisfaction � ends up pushing customers and drivers toward using and working for Uber instead.

# ? Sep 4, 2019 17:36

ToxicSlurpee: Nov 5, 2003; -=SEND HELP=-; Pillbug

PhazonLink posted:

isnt one of their arguments, "to make sure other driving services dont steal their dudes" moot since drivers in this industry already have all the apps competitors?

Uber got caught getting up to some shenanigans where they'd try to detect if somebody was also driving for Lyft and then dick them over. I forget the details but it was definitely something that crossed some lines. They really very much don't want competition.

# ? Sep 4, 2019 17:37

PhazonLink: Jul 17, 2010

beta techbro billionaire of a glorified taxi service: hello I would like an l-i-f-t for I'm a weiner lul!

Chad Kochbro *creates a massive shadow network to control global gov*

# ? Sep 4, 2019 18:28

Total Meatlove: Jan 28, 2007; Rangers died, shoujo Hitler cried ;_;

ToxicSlurpee posted:

Uber got caught getting up to some shenanigans where they'd try to detect if somebody was also driving for Lyft and then dick them over. I forget the details but it was definitely something that crossed some lines. They really very much don't want competition.

They had geofenced black spots around regulatory offices that served different app views

# ? Sep 4, 2019 19:38

Neo Rasa: Mar 8, 2007; Everyone should play DUKE games.

Please invest millions of dollars in us we invented a gym that is expensive.

# ? Sep 4, 2019 22:58

PhazonLink: Jul 17, 2010

120$ a month huh, arent the preimum levels of even fad cultlite programs sub 100$?

# ? Sep 5, 2019 02:44

JK Fresco: Jul 5, 2019

https://amp.businessinsider.com/uber-founder-travis-kalanick-meltdown-in-fellow-execs-living-room-2019-9

quote:

February 2017, Uber executives huddled in the hallway near a conference room of San Francisco's four-star Le Meridien hotel.

They were there to come up with a game plan, Mike Isaac writes in "Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber," released this week - and it needed to be a good one.

Not only had the group just seen the results of a damning survey - it found, Isaac wrote, that "people enjoyed using Uber as a service" but that when its founder and CEO, Travis Kalanick, was brought up, "customers recoiled" - but a video had just surfaced that would become a major piece of Kalanick's fall from grace:

"The four executives huddled around the laptop, with Kalanick kneeling on the floor in front of the chair. They watched as a grainy dashcam video began playing. Shot from inside an Uber, the video shows a driver with three passengers: two women and a man, Travis Kalanick, sandwiched in between them in the back seat."

The clip of Kalanick berating a driver who blamed the executive for lowering pay spread like wildfire, reaching well beyond Bloomberg and onto local TV newscasts around the country, as well as to Business Insider.

"Some people don't like to take responsibility for their own s---!" Kalanick can be heard shouting in the video.

When Rachel Whetstone, Uber's head of public relations at the time, suggested that Kalanick stick to Uber's in-house communications team instead of hiring an outside PR firm, Isaac wrote, Kalanick went berserk:

"'You two aren't strategic or creative enough to help us get out of this situation,' he said. The room was silent as Kalanick's insult hung in the air. Whetstone and Hazelbaker had had enough. The two of them stood up, gathered their belongings, and walked out of the room."

Later, around pizza and beer in the San Francisco townhouse of Jill Hazelbaker, now the company's senior vice president of marketing, communications, and public policy, morale didn't get much better:

"Meanwhile, Kalanick continued his theatrics, writhing around on Hazelbaker's carpet. Kalanick kept repeating the same thing over and over: 'I'm a terrible person. I'm a terrible person. I'm a terrible person.'"

Eventually, the team came up with a press statement and apology from Kalanick that was also posted on the company's blog.

Four months later, Kalanick would resign.

More from "Super Pumped":

Uber's ousted founder Travis Kalanick would like you to call him 'T-bone'

Uber made nearly $500 million from a 'safe rides fee' - and that money went straight to the company's pockets

Uber's lax ID requirements in Brazil led to people playing 'Uber roulette' and sticking up drivers - leading to 16 murders

# ? Sep 5, 2019 02:57

Konstantin: Jun 20, 2005; And the Lord said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.

PhazonLink posted:

120$ a month huh, arent the preimum levels of even fad cultlite programs sub 100$?

Most gyms make their money signing people up for long term contracts and rely on most of them not showing up. $120 a month is reasonable for a no contract gym in an expensive area, especially if it has newer machines or amenities like a pool or dedicated sports courts.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 03:50

ryonguy: Jun 27, 2013

Anything that separates money from the rich in a more expedient fashion is a good thing tbh. This sorta thing falls under the same heading as "raw water" although without the added benefit of killing people who use it.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 04:16

Arsenic Lupin: Apr 12, 2012; This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.

Give them your backyard and a new startup will install a tiny house and rent it out

quote:

But a Bay Area company, Rent the Backyard, is pushing the trend even further. The new startup, part of the current Y Combinator crop, wants to take care of all the work that goes into installing and managing a [tiny home] in your backyard. They�ll do the planning and applying. They�ll install the prefabricated home (preliminary designs by the company prefabAdu are sleek and contemporary). They�ll even find the tenant and, month after month, collect the rent.

All the company asks is that you split the profit with them � and lease your backyard for 30 years.

I wonder what the expected lifetime of a tiny home is? And I wonder how saleable your house is, with a rental unit in the back yard that the buyer does not control in any way?

# ? Sep 5, 2019 04:21

Parakeet vs. Phone: Nov 6, 2009

There's a whole show on CNBC about this called CashPad too, although it's not just tiny houses. Sometimes it's a shipping container.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 04:41

fishmech: Jul 16, 2006; by VideoGames; Salad Prong

Arsenic Lupin posted:

Give them your backyard and a new startup will install a tiny house and rent it out

I wonder what the expected lifetime of a tiny home is? And I wonder how saleable your house is, with a rental unit in the back yard that the buyer does not control in any way?

I mean, it's a slightly higher quality garden shed when it comes down to it. Those do tend to hold up well.

Selling property with attached renters is going to probably attract small-time landlords who plan to also rent out the main house too. And it's not like the owner of property is getting 0 money from the tenants in the back either.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 04:49

Don Gato: Apr 28, 2013; Actually a bipedal cat.; Grimey Drawer

Arsenic Lupin posted:

Give them your backyard and a new startup will install a tiny house and rent it out

I wonder what the expected lifetime of a tiny home is? And I wonder how saleable your house is, with a rental unit in the back yard that the buyer does not control in any way?

I always wanted to be Hong Kong Microapartment slum lord, this is as close as I'll get in this country

# ? Sep 5, 2019 07:42

AceOfFlames: Oct 9, 2012

Neo Rasa posted:

Please invest millions of dollars in us we invented a gym that is expensive.

Still looks like less of a rip-off than CrossFit.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 07:50

Mister Facetious: Apr 21, 2007; I think I died and woke up in L.A.,
I don't know how I wound up in this place...

AceOfFlames posted:

Still looks like less of a rip-off than CrossFit.

but is it any safer? this is the disruption culture we're talking about here.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 07:58

Neo Rasa: Mar 8, 2007; Everyone should play DUKE games.

Mister Facetious posted:

but is it any safer? this is the disruption culture we're talking about here.

One of the promo pictures is literally just a big empty room with a hardwood floor with ropes hanging from the ceiling with rings on them and the copy is like "COMBINING ANCIENT WARRIOR TECHNIQUES WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY LIKE NEVER BEFORE" :laffo:

Also keep in mind that $35 week is just for a free week you get once, if you actually join and have that level of access to stuff it STARTS at $200 a month.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 13:40

Doggles: Apr 22, 2007

https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/1169606877753294849

# ? Sep 5, 2019 16:33

Arsenic Lupin: Apr 12, 2012; This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.

fishmech posted:

I mean, it's a slightly higher quality garden shed when it comes down to it. Those do tend to hold up well.

Jury is out; garden sheds get a lot less wear and tear than a single-family house.

quote:

Selling property with attached renters is going to probably attract small-time landlords who plan to also rent out the main house too. And it's not like the owner of property is getting 0 money from the tenants in the back either.

The small-time landlord wants the chance to jack up the rent, which this solution doesn't offer. Also, wow, I wonder what this does to your homeowners insurance, specifically the liability insurance?

# ? Sep 5, 2019 16:41

Mister Facetious: Apr 21, 2007; I think I died and woke up in L.A.,
I don't know how I wound up in this place...

If theft insurance didn't skyrocket immediately I'd be surprised.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 16:46

Mr. Fall Down Terror: Jan 24, 2018; by Fluffdaddy

i was wondering how utilities would be provisioned. like if i, johnny homeowner, sign up for this service i've got to let their work crew come in and run sewer/water/electric/gas lines through my yard?

Mr. Fall Down Terror fucked around with this message at 16:54 on Sep 5, 2019

# ? Sep 5, 2019 16:46

Motronic: Nov 6, 2009

luxury handset posted:

i was wondering how utilities would be provisioned.

55 gallon drum of water on the roof and a crockpot in the corner. The deluxe models come with a lid and a solar water heater.

All outlets are USB outlets. They only function during the day.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 17:50

PhazonLink: Jul 17, 2010

there's a lovely hamster wheel they can use for the night.

(also some techbro saw a video about other shapes of constant width that arent circles and therefore decided to literally reivent the nontwheeel)

# ? Sep 5, 2019 17:55

Arsenic Lupin: Apr 12, 2012; This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.

luxury handset posted:

i was wondering how utilities would be provisioned. like if i, johnny homeowner, sign up for this service i've got to let their work crew come in and run sewer/water/electric/gas lines through my yard?

Absolutely, and you have to hope they don't mess up your ancient cast-iron pipes while they're at it. Then you discover that you really do hate having strangers in your space, and instead of just pulling your AirBnB listing, you're locked in for 30 years, even after the dumb startup goes bankrupt, because that lease is a saleable asset in bankruptcy court.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 18:04

Solkanar512: Dec 28, 2006; by the sex ghost

Arsenic Lupin posted:

Absolutely, and you have to hope they don't mess up your ancient cast-iron pipes while they're at it. Then you discover that you really do hate having strangers in your space, and instead of just pulling your AirBnB listing, you're locked in for 30 years, even after the dumb startup goes bankrupt, because that lease is a saleable asset in bankruptcy court.

So let�s drag this out further - this company obviously isn�t going to be around in a year or two, so how many loving times does this lease get sold without notice? No way they�ll sell it to the owner because that makes sense and you can�t do that in bulk.

And then the renter gets to deal with all that poo poo too. What a loving mess.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 18:54

Mister Facetious: Apr 21, 2007; I think I died and woke up in L.A.,
I don't know how I wound up in this place...

Do you even gain ownership of the "home" if they go bust/the lease ends?

Will it be chained up forever if the property owner doesn't renew/it doesn't get auctioned?
The Corp may not own the land, but what are you going to do, make them move the building away?

# ? Sep 5, 2019 19:02

Konstantin: Jun 20, 2005; And the Lord said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.

Add in the fact that the owner doesn't get to vet the tenants. I can imagine having Mr. Creepy live in your backyard, who follows the letter of the law and passes every background check while making any female residents feel uncomfortable if they open a window or take one step outside their own home.

# ? Sep 5, 2019 19:13

Arsenic Lupin: Apr 12, 2012; This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.

Mister Facetious posted:

Do you even gain ownership of the "home" if they go bust/the lease ends?
Will it be chained up forever if the property owner doesn't renew/it doesn't get auctioned?
The Corp may not own the land, but what are you going to do, make them move the building away?

Hint: Who do you think writes the contract?

# ? Sep 5, 2019 19:57

Mister Facetious: Apr 21, 2007; I think I died and woke up in L.A.,
I don't know how I wound up in this place...

Oh I'm well aware who, but I'm curious about the details. How desperate would a homeowner be to not immediately shoot down a raw deal?
The corporation doesn't own the actual parcel of land (theoretically)...

# ? Sep 5, 2019 20:15

Mister Facetious: Apr 21, 2007; I think I died and woke up in L.A.,
I don't know how I wound up in this place...

No wait, a bigger question; how does eminent domain work in this situation?

Can you reverse takeover a property?

If they already have a financial stake, do they have a stronger claim in the courts eyes?

Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Sep 5, 2019

# ? Sep 5, 2019 20:18

Mr. Fall Down Terror: Jan 24, 2018; by Fluffdaddy

Mister Facetious posted:

No wait, a bigger question; how does eminent domain work in this situation?

Can you reverse takeover a property?

it doesn't factor in, eminent domain is something the government does and in the odd circumstance they would negotiate independently with both the property owner and any/all parties who have leased some rights to the property

the precedent here would be people who have sold mineral or air rights to their property

# ? Sep 5, 2019 20:20