Hacker News Reader

For real, if you applied the same level of scrutiny and the same kind of aggressive rhetoric to universities, the result would be a devastating critique. I think the same is true of other 'disruptive' companies that people love to hate (Uber, AirBnB, etc).

We uncritically accept the status quo, and at the same time compare all upstarts against some platonic ideal of what we imagine could exist.

Perhaps your second premise isn't true...?

it says that Universities should be free.

That's solving the wrong problem; sucking away years of someone's life for minor benefits doesn't become a good deal by being free.