“Any VC backed startup can steal IP and hire lawyers to clean up the mess”
If you have money, you can usually buy influence and also buy your way out of a ‘mess’. Just make sure that those you steal from have less money/influence at their disposal than you.
Problem solved.
The playbook has been in operation for over a decade.
That claim is at best, speculative. According to wikipedia they won every case brought against them, so as far as the law is concerned they didn't do anything illegal.
>Taxi companies sued Uber in numerous American cities, alleging that Uber's policy of violating taxi regulations was a form of unfair competition or a violation of antitrust law.[80] Although some courts did find that Uber intentionally violated the taxi rules, Uber prevailed in every case, including the only case to proceed to trial.[81]
American laws have enough loopholes that a convicted felon running for the highest office in the land is a "legal gray area".
This is asserted without evidence or justification.
>Apparently the difference between "violated the rules" and "illegal" is how many billions you have backstopping your efforts.
Legality is not binary. It exists on a spectrum. What uber did was in a gray zone, because they technically weren't taxis in the sense that only did prearranged pickups (as opposed to picking up fares hailing from the street). Is what they're doing actually illegal? You could argue either way. If you got sued by the city and were poor, couldn't afford a lawyer to represent you and rebut the city's claim, or couldn't pay your bills while the ligation was ongoing, that would very well have been the end of line for you. Conversely, if you could afford a bunch high powered lawyers that can do a bunch of research and write persuasive arguments, you might have been able to get a decision in your favor. While there's a difference between being poor and rich, it's not exactly the same as "the difference between "violated the rules" and "illegal" is how many billions you have backstopping your efforts", because persuasive arguments only get you so far. It only helps you in marginal cases, and doesn't mean you can murder people in broad daylight and get away with it, which is what your statement implies.
says Wikipedia about the time when Uber operated illegally.