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According to a pay-walled article in The Information:
Thanks to a secret software-based effort within Uber called "Hell," Uber could track how many Lyft drivers were available for new rides and where they were[.] [...] "Hell" showed Uber employees which of the tracked drivers were driving for both Lyft and Uber, helping Uber figure out how to lure those drivers away from its rival.
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An honest tale speeds best being plainly told.
-- William Shakespeare, "Henry VI"
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday April 14 2017, @08:18AM (2 children)
So if you had been "double apping", you would have received even more benefits from doing so aside from being able to pick up Lyft passengers. Any drivers using Uber exclusively would be complete suckers.
What the fuck, Uber? Lol.
All of the bad press that Uber has gotten lately could amount to nothing in comparison to losing in court with Google/Waymo. That could lead to a payout reminiscent of the Samsung/Apple case. Although dragging it out indefinitely is also an option.
Speaking of hell software, next version of my userscript coming very soon...
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @02:50PM (1 child)
I'm not sure how you see offering targeted incentives as making a "sucker" of everybody else.
When there's a sale for e.g. new customers, you being a returning customer doesn't mean you're suddenly getting ripped off when paying (or in this case being paid) the rate you've always been happy to pay or be paid.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @02:59PM
No, but it does help to occasionally become a new customer all over again, again and again, especially with ISPs.
I don't like negotiating that way, but it's the only way to negotiate with a brick wall.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday April 14 2017, @08:21AM (3 children)
Anyone else getting the feeling that Uber is plainly bad news?
Next time drivers will use two phones to "double-app" ? ;)
Oh the horror.. they aren't serfs yet!
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Friday April 14 2017, @08:28AM
1. The "double-apping" drivers got bonuses.
2. The software was used between 2014 and 2016.
(ง ͠° ͟ل͜ ͡°)ง
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(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @02:45PM (1 child)
No, they seem quite incredible to me. In reality one of the main reason that I think our capitalist system has started to stall out is because companies aren't really competing. There's much more money to be made by implicit collusion (think most electronics products and companies) or overt agreements to not compete in the same territory (think Comcast and Time Warner). Companies like Uber are playing capitalism like it was meant to be played and that results in huge benefits to the customer and employee alike.
Compare this instance of them actively trying to offer more to employees for a competing company to how Google and Apple interact with regards to employees. When one Google recruiter dared shoot of an email about available opportunities at Google to an Apple employee, it eventually made its way up to Steve Jobs who managed in collusion with Eric Schmidt to have the recruiter fired [time.com] within 24 hours. Upon hearing the news of the recruiter losing her job, Steve Jobs responded with a smiley face.
Capitalism is supposed to be ware between companies for the sake of the consumer and employee. In reality it's more often companies colluding (often alongside political puppets) and attacking both consumer and employee alike to maximize their earn. So no, I don't think a company working to try to offer better lives for employees of a competing company is what I'd call "bad news."
(Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Friday April 14 2017, @05:09PM
That is why I disagree with the "well defined contracts" guy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @12:49PM (2 children)
From http://www.clausewitz.org/ [clausewitz.org]
"Business is war. Arm yourself."
War is Hell.
All's fair in love and war.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @05:27PM (1 child)
This war mentality has to go. Our strength is in community and working together. Competition can be good, but right now it is destroying our civilization.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday April 14 2017, @06:17PM
> working together
I'm pretty sure I'm working harder than Joe, so I should get more than him.
Competition is natural, you evil commie!