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Comment by dkarapetyan | Hacker News Reader

The anonymity in that article doesn't help. It doesn't matter how much money you have the kind of behavior described in that article is unacceptable. I like to think that the majority of technologists and entrepreneurs are humanists and they are in it to make the world a better place. I also like to think that if the article wasn't anonymous there would be non-violent collective action to make it known in no uncertain terms that kind of behavior is unacceptable from anyone.

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>they are in it to make the world a better place

No, saying that you want to make the world a better place, and saying that whatever you are working on makes the world a better place, is entirely (100%) different from actually taking the necessary actions to solving known and common world problems and actually making the world a better place. The level of hypocrisy in tech is beyond ridiculous.

Sure but you're not going to solve the immediate problem of the various imbalances in the tech world in terms of gender equality and general power imbalances if stuff like this continues to remain anonymous. It might not seem like it but by choosing where, how, and who I work for I'm making a deliberate choice. I know that this is a luxury and that not many people have it but I like to put that luxury to good use and not work for anyone or provide my expertise to anyone that is even peripherally related to whoever is in that article.

Well, if you go purely anonymous in all aspects, you prevent a lot of these things from even being an issue and rely only on the merit of the idea, quality of MVP, and thoroughness of the business plan - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8169051

I don't use Uber. I use Lyft. Why? Because Lyft is better people. Given the choice I'd rather support the better people. SF is full of startups that are indistinguishable in terms of technical merit, idea, business plan, etc. They are different though when it comes to the people.

Please fully describe how the age, race, gender, height, orientation, and religious aspects of employees for both Lyft and Uber are relevant and intertwined with the actions of the company. You say "better people" but I think you mean "acting ethically" and I see no relation to how that has anything to do with the above 6 descriptors I listed.

How are the Lyft people better than the Uber people?

No 5000 orders and cancellation for one. One documented example http://valleywag.gawker.com/ubers-dirty-trick-campaign-again.... There was also another front page post recently that was an interview with Uber's CEO on the same matter.

You may like to think that about entrepreneurs but you'd be almost clinically deluded if that was what you did think.

Really? Clinically deluded? I might have to push the date for my sabbatical then.

In short, that's easy for you to say. You aren't the one risking anything.

I'd also like to think that if the article wasn't anonymous there would be action. I've personally seen enough instances where nothing is done and in fact the abusers are covered for to think that expecting action is borderline naive.

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