I'm really getting tired of this.
Tesla is in a different category from Uber and Airbnb.
Tesla makes a real product, distributes it, and sells it. They are bumping into old laws that actually make no sense in the modern era. HOWEVER, unlike Uber and Airbnb, they are attempting to comply while they get the laws changed.
Uber and Airbnb are bumping into old laws that make real sense for consumers even now. In the case of taxi laws, they demand that drivers have things like a commercial drivers license (much harder to get than a standard license), liability insurance, and some requirement for fair practices.
Uber explicitly ignored all of these and now they are getting bashed for it. They didn't have to ignore the taxi laws. They could have gotten certified as a taxi service and overlaid that with effective use of technology. But that wouldn't be a billion dollar social internet company that they could cash out--it would be a solidly profitable 50 million dollar company that they would have to run--and that's not what they wanted. So, now they're getting bashed--and they deserve it.
In the case of Airbnb, lodging rules also have a purpose. They guarantee things like liability insurance, standards of cleanliness (bedbugs are a real problem again), and non-discrimination. Airbnb could have complied with these laws, but, again, chose to ignore them in order to enhance their profitability. And now they are getting bashed for it. And they deserve it.
The difference is that Tesla attempted to do things itself and comply. Airbnb and Uber attempt to push the liability onto someone else and flout the law.
I suspect that Airbnb and Uber are actually going to provoke a law that says that companies also have some liability for their subcontractors. And that's going to make a mess ... all because a couple of greedy business types wanted to make a few extra bucks.
Tesla is in a different category from Uber and Airbnb.
Tesla makes a real product, distributes it, and sells it. They are bumping into old laws that actually make no sense in the modern era. HOWEVER, unlike Uber and Airbnb, they are attempting to comply while they get the laws changed.
Uber and Airbnb are bumping into old laws that make real sense for consumers even now. In the case of taxi laws, they demand that drivers have things like a commercial drivers license (much harder to get than a standard license), liability insurance, and some requirement for fair practices.
Uber explicitly ignored all of these and now they are getting bashed for it. They didn't have to ignore the taxi laws. They could have gotten certified as a taxi service and overlaid that with effective use of technology. But that wouldn't be a billion dollar social internet company that they could cash out--it would be a solidly profitable 50 million dollar company that they would have to run--and that's not what they wanted. So, now they're getting bashed--and they deserve it.
In the case of Airbnb, lodging rules also have a purpose. They guarantee things like liability insurance, standards of cleanliness (bedbugs are a real problem again), and non-discrimination. Airbnb could have complied with these laws, but, again, chose to ignore them in order to enhance their profitability. And now they are getting bashed for it. And they deserve it.
The difference is that Tesla attempted to do things itself and comply. Airbnb and Uber attempt to push the liability onto someone else and flout the law.
I suspect that Airbnb and Uber are actually going to provoke a law that says that companies also have some liability for their subcontractors. And that's going to make a mess ... all because a couple of greedy business types wanted to make a few extra bucks.