Uber loses licence to operate in London, will still operate while appealing

(www.bbc.com)

256 points reubensutton | 3 comments | 25 Nov 19 10:19 UTC | HN request time: 0.752s | source

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harel ◴[25 Nov 19 14:37 UTC] No.21628429[source]▶

I'm not a fan of companies like Uber or AirBnB who attempt a violent takeover of a market. However, as a consumer who needs to get from A to B, or stay at some random city, I find those services invaluable. The black cabs in London are expensive, never around when you need them, and until recently might have refused card payments (now they just seem unhappy about it). At the very least I was hoping Uber would make that industry wake up and join the modern world, but instead they chose to protest and block roads. With Uber, I always have a car available within minutes and the prices are reasonable. I just hope that the competition will take their place (and driver mass) if they do end up leaving.

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cactus2093 ◴[25 Nov 19 18:18 UTC] No.21631069[source]▶

>>21628429 #

You call it a violent takeover, but then go on to describe them as simply providing a better service than existing competiors. ??!?

And this seems to just be the commonly accepted narrative among upper middle class progressives, so much so that nobody even bats an eye at the extraordinary contradiction.

I feel like I'm living in an alternate reality lately. All tech is evil, that's just a fact, but it has improved our lives so much that we all continue to use it all day every day.

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1. harel ◴[25 Nov 19 20:25 UTC] No.21632396[source]▶

>>21631069 #

First, as someone who strives for balance, I can't sit idle when you say "All tech is evil". That is just not true. We are all tech. all of us here. Very few people on this planet are "evil". However, many actions are perceived as evil by some and good by others. Google is not evil - they might do some things wrong, or badly but I don't believe they are inherently "evil". Neither is Uber or Facebook or any other tech company (Spam farms not included). And yes, the tech has improved our life tremendously. And it has done so at an accelerated rate over the last decade+. So fast that I really think we failed to adjust in time and are swinging from extremes at the moment. We were given "Social Media" and are now learning how to navigate both "social" and "media" together. We got tech giants and now learning what they can/cannot do. Give humans time. We're not as clever as we'd like to believe - we take time to adjust.

And yes, I think Uber's attempt to squash all competition is bad. But because they are managing to do it, the smaller firms lack driver mass and when i need to get from A to B, I'm stuck with Uber. Tomorrow I will try Kapten, and if that works fine, I'll just use it. If it doesn't deliver, I'll stick with uber while it's around. Between standing in the rain and using Uber - my choice is already made up. Still doesn't mean i need to like them.

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2. cactus2093 ◴[26 Nov 19 00:36 UTC] No.21634505[source]▶

>>21632396 (TP) #

I'm not claiming all tech is evil, just pointing out that I see this more and more as just being the accepted viewpoint these days. I also find it a pretty absurd claim, that's what I'm saying.