Here’s OP’s tweet again so you can read it: “When will people understand that this predatory pricing model will always be true of anything coming out of Silicon Valley? It is literally their only model. 1. Operate at a loss so everyone signs up 2. Wipe out competitors 3. Slam users with profane monopolistic costs”
Point 1 is objectively correct, I disagree with points 2 (mostly incorrect) and points 3 (entirely incorrect).
I haven’t been proven wrong. My argument was never that “taxis did not exist” before Uber, but rather that Uber has massively expanded the market and given significantly more people access to affordable on-demand private transportation. I have no problem admitting when I am wrong on something, I am certain I hold plenty of wrong opinions, but I have not yet been proven wrong on this.
@GodefroyPrime@Playerinthgame I don’t believe that their pricing strategy was immoral as regular consumers have disproportionately benefited from Uber at the cost of pre-existing taxi and other private transportation services. I agree with the rest of your point.
@chasecharb@Playerinthgame You don’t because now consumers have the option to choose, to sign up and to cancel plans on demand. Instead of being locked i n to a cable package, you can just pay for whichever streaming service has the show or movie you want to watch then cancel afterwards.
@Playerinthgame The argument I am making is that Uber had no competitors for the vast majority of the markets it now serves. I don’t see any issues with how it expanded into urban centers like NYC which had established taxi monopolies that actively did use predatory tactics.
This is silly and not at all true, wearing a “fuck you” hat either means the person has a good sense of humor (will save you) or that they are antisocial (will not save you). Same can be said for someone wearing a “love” or “kindness” shirt, most people wearing any shirt will suffer from the bystander effect, but the shirt itself is far less of an indicator than you think it is.
@BeSaintly From a societal point of view, I think the perceived “dregs” of our society, the homeless, drug addicts, violent criminals, the mentally unstable, etc… serve a valuable role as a reminder of humanity’s faults, failings, and darker nature.
“To eliminate suffering entirely would mean, in the end, extinguishing love and desire as well. Those who love and desire cannot avoid passing through trial and suffering; and over the years, we carry within us lessons that leave their mark like scars, the memories of a journey shaped by freedom and failure, dreams and disappointments.
It is only thanks to the interplay of these elements that the wonders of the soul occur within us, allowing us to sense the richness of our humanity.
To renounce this adventure, both tragic and splendid, in the name of a presumed transcendence of all limits, could mean many things, but it would no longer be human.”
Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas (par. 120) (May 15, 2026)