(Header image via Uber)
The collective caterwaul of internet alarmism was heard this week in the form of discontent directed against the ride-sharing deity known as Uber, which was called out in response to an executive’s ‘plan’ to muckrake the muckrakers. A plan, I should mention, that was proposed at a dinner party in front of new media shareholders that included Huffington Post and Buzzfeed editors. The remarks made by the Uber executive were considered questionable because they laid out the blueprints of an intricate act of malevolence that detailed funding an initiative to spy on journalists who were ‘spying’ on Uber. Like most secret proposals, it was revealed in a semi-private setting, where plenty of ‘journalists’ and other responsible members of the press sat around eating and drinking. So when these words were then taken and touted across the internet as evidence of Uber’s poisonous agenda, who could claim surprise?
A tech writer for the website BostInno, Jim Dalke, was shocked. In response he prepared a brilliantly titled reaction piece: Why I Deleted My Uber App. In it, Dalke demonstrates what modern day American activism looks like. He began his article by stating that he was “an unabashed Uber fan since my first time using the ride-sharing service,” which does a great job at setting the tone, informing the readership that this is the story of a man who has been betrayed. After going through his arsenal of rationale, in which he elaborates on the aforementioned claims of Uber’s proposed treachery, he concludes with his position as it stands today:
“Uber knows your name, your credit card information, and can keep track of your every twist and turn as you ride cheaply through the city. Personally, I don’t trust this company with my information and money.”
He then goes on to say: “There are plenty of transportation options in Chicago, and I’ll be in a Lyft, Sidecar, or even a goddamn cab before I step inside another Uber.”
Photo by Tekke: www.flickr.com/people/tekkebln
Uber: Look how far you’ve made this impressionable young man fall. He has lost all faith in your company, your message, your service. He’s even willing to entertain one of your competitors or, in the most extreme instance, a cab! Obviously he won’t stoop to the proletarian option of public transportation, but he’s getting close. With that said, I do think that the Uber exec’s proposition was troubling, but I’ll excuse it as the type of kink that every multi-billion dollar entity must work out in order to become a loathsome corporate powerhouse. What are these remarks? Growing pains, plain and simple. Many budding executives think they can say or do anything without repercussion, which is strictly untrue. Look at the fallout! Jim Dalke’s piece has elicited nearly 54.3K Flame Score points on BostonInno’s site – a metric composed out of “social shares, comments, StreetCred +1’s, and views.” And if this amalgamated response means anything, it’s indicative of serious discontent. The people are mad and they’re not going to take it any more! Uber should ponder this and take note: If you want to be a successful company, you need to make sure that your executives keep their personal vendettas under wraps. In this age of Flame Scores and competing ride share providers, a person has options; they will take the leaked words from even your most well-attended celebrity dinner parties and weaponize them against you in the hopes of knocking your company down a peg or two, some will even go as far as to delete your app from their phone. But don’t let this discourage you, many more are indifferent to the personal politics of even the most cancerous company, because as long as convenience and affordability reign supreme, who is to say what is right and what is wrong?
