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0 pointssarcasmic9y ago0 comments

I think so too. But also, the seeming uptick in negative views voiced with regard to Uber is due to the shifting Overton window. Previously, critics were less numerous and the public was less outspoken; for most people Uber brought low fares and on-demand cab hailing, so critics of Uber's approach were seen as curmudgeonly defenders of antiquated business structures, or people with specific axes to grind.

But a quick succession of PR disasters has made the narrative difficult to control:

November 28, TechCrunch: Uber begins background collection of rider location data [1]

December 1, NPR: Uber Now Tracks Passengers' Locations Even After They're Dropped Off [2]

December 14, TechCrunch: Uber's self-driving cars start picking up passengers in San Francisco [3]

December 14, Video: Driverless Uber runs red light in downtown San Francisco [4]

December 14, TheHill: Trump Names Elon Musk, Uber CEO to Advisory Team [5]

December 16, The Verge: Uber is stubbornly refusing to apply for a $150 permit for its self-driving cars [6]

December 21: ReCode: Uber has stopped its self-driving pilot in SF after the DMV revoked its cars' registrations [7]

January 30, TechCrunch: Lyft surges to the top 10 on Apple's App Store following the #DeleteUber campaign [8]

February 19, Susan J. Fowler: Reflecting On One Very, Very Strange Year At Uber [9]

February 19, The New York Times: Uber Investigating Sexual Harassment Claims by Ex-Employee [10]

February 23, Bloomberg: Alphabet's Waymo Alleges Uber Stole Self-Driving Secrets [11]

February 24, "Amy Vertino": I am an Uber survivor [12]

March 3, The New York Times: How Uber Used Secret "Greyball" Tool to Deceive Authorities Worldwide [13]

Specifically, the #deleteUber affair stemmed from a series of misunderstandings, but generated more public ire than most of Uber's unambiguously overt actions. This widespread public upset made further revelations about Uber's culture more repulsive, even if they were upsetting enough in their own right. This also makes it easier to pile on less consequential pieces of bad press, like the few we've had in recent weeks about other high-ranking executives leaving for unrelated reasons.

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coolgeek9y ago

Thanks for the list and links!

But the term Overton Window isn't a good fit for what you're describing here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window

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