‘Stop or I’ll fire you’: the driver who defied Uber’s automated HR
Why do so many tech companies think they have a right o issue decisions to employees, contractors, or customers without communicating context? Lack of contextual information seems to account for a <i>large</i> proportion of tech grievances discussed on HN.<p>Running a business as a top-down dictatorial entity with zero accountability says something bad about the founders and owners. The standard excuse is that 'if we give out too much information, people will game the system'. But by evading accountability and often regulation, it's these companies who are gaming the marketplace/regulatory system in which they operate, while offering themselves as victims of unscrupulous individuals whenever one of their counterparties exhibits even a slight degree of autonomy. This kind of control freakery is recapitulating the worst aspects of 20th century Taylorism.<p>I was very much in favor of Uber as a disruptive entity when they first appeared, given the numerous flaws in the in then-dominant taxicab model. But (along with many other companies that adhere to the same platform mentality) have mutated into something significantly worse.