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0 pointsocdtrekkie7y ago0 comments

The people sexually assaulted, discriminated against because of their skin color or sexuality, and those recorded in their beds without their consent would all presumably disagree that Uber and AirBnB flouting regulations made for huge wins for customers/consumers.

EDIT: The fact that these crimes "have happened at hotels/in taxis as well" ignores the fact that they are far more likely in an environment where regulations meant to prevent or reduce them are wholesale ignored.

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wallawe7y ago

It sounds like you're conflating common law with industry regulations.

If I'm a fisherman in Florida, and I need to follow regulations for the fishing industry there, they don't have a stipulation that you can't discriminate against certain persons based on age, raced, gender, etc. when you take customers out on expeditions.

Why? Because that's covered by United States law.

Yes these things happened, and yes they are atrocious but they have nothing to do with the regulatory gray areas that these companies operated in.

freehunter7y ago

The people sexually assaulted on the subway, discriminated against because of their skin color or sexuality in taxis, and those recorded in their beds without their consent in hotels would all presumably argue that crimes happen even without SV investment money.

disishhsha7y ago

Have you ever talked to a member of a racial minority about discrimination by taxis vs. Uber? Everything I’ve heard is that it’s difficult for a black man to get a cab, and easy to get an Uber.

With a centralized platform, people selling rides or lodging actually get recorded when they reject people, which makes it possible to pursue them for discrimination.

wool_gather7y ago

I don't want to defend either of

- Uber/AirBnB's regulatory abitrage

- assault, harassment, or illegal discrimination

but this is a complete non-sequitur. The laws that they're avoiding have nothing to do with individuals hurting other individuals. And assault, harassment, or illegal discrimination are perfectly possible in the context of a licensed hotel or taxi.

ceejayoz7y ago

I'm no fan of AirBnB, but all of those things have happened at hotels.

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