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Scale Ruins Everything

(coldwaters.substack.com)
175 points drc500free | 1 comments | 14 Oct 24 17:34 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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daxfohl ◴[14 Oct 24 20:15 UTC] No.41841448[source]▶
Given that we've been throwing cash at every conceivable idea for the last ten plus years, yet when speaking of unicorns we still have to refer back to airbnb and uber, seems like we're well past "peak unicorn" and well into the "horse with a mild concussion" era.
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Terr_ ◴[14 Oct 24 20:21 UTC] No.41841513[source]▶
It's also disconcerting how much their success seems to hinge on using technology as a lever to break laws or social expectations, as opposed to technology as something that itself empowers humans to be more productive.
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ahmeneeroe-v2 ◴[14 Oct 24 20:55 UTC] No.41841888[source]▶
Pretty hard for me to lament laws being broken when the laws boil down to "you're not allowed to compete with this monopoly".
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sgdfhijfgsdfgds ◴[14 Oct 24 21:05 UTC] No.41841992{3}[source]▶
Do you lament e.g. Uber knowingly breaking laws, and then in the knowledge that they are knowingly breaking laws and under scrutiny for doing so, also actively building functionality into their systems that helps them criminally evade scrutiny?

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/jul/10/uber-files-leak...

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-...

This is a level of deliberate, optional fraud that goes a step beyond, is it not? It's organised crime.

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1. kelnos ◴[14 Oct 24 21:57 UTC] No.41842454{4}[source]▶
Sure, that's bad. But that has nothing to do with the fact of their existence.

Laws aren't universally good. Some laws are bought and paid for by special interests. Some regulations are the result of regulatory capture. I am totally fine with people or companies skirting our outright breaking those laws in order to make things better for people.

But yes, Uber also did some bad things that I don't agree with. I still think Uber has been a new positive for my life, and I'm happy they exist.