优步的坏男孩态度让它易于道德失误

Now is an exciting time for Uber Technologies, the app-based ride-sharing company that promises to transform the business of getting around by car. Executives at the Silicon Valley start-up are developing a bad-boy reputation just as swiftly as their company is becoming the hottest meal ticket in town, gathering investments from hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds and the ultrarich.

12月初，旧金山的服装宣布完成新的12亿美元的融资，这些融资价值高达410亿美元。然而，同时，优步是对其一些高管的行为和态度的批评和关于用户隐私的问题。在11月下旬在纽约私营晚宴，业务高级副总裁Emil Michael suggested that the company could hire researchers to dig up dirt on journalistswho have been critical of it and harass them. Michael’s comments were quickly followed by reports of instances where Uber has used its so-called “God view” screen to track passengers, including some female reporters.

Worries about riders’ privacy prompted Senator Al Franken, chairman of the Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, to write to Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. In his November 19 letter, Franken said he had serious concerns “about the scope, transparency, and enforceability of Uber’s [privacy] policies.” Kalanick is emblematic of Uber’s dilemma. An Ayn Rand fan, he has a reputation for being a jerk. Or, as one Uber employee was quoted in a December兰格尼《名利场》的状况令人钦佩地说：“这很难成为一个倾向者而不是混蛋。”但是卡拉尼克的态度可以让他看似不清楚让优步工作的骑手和司机。当涉及女性时，这尤其如此：他在2014年3月的时间里加强了他对Misogyny的声誉GQ.article quoted him describing women who find Uber executives desirable as “Boob-ers.”

卡拉尼克解决了优步的最新隐私问题。“最近几周的活动表明我们还需要投资内部增长和变革，”他在博客岗位上宣布新的12亿美元资金。“认识到他们的错误和学习是第一步。我们正在整个公司合作，并寻求那些经历类似挑战的人寻求律师，让我们在需要的情况下改进和改变。“

At the heart of Uber’s problems is concern that the attitude that helped the company rise to the top in tech — and take on the old guard in the cab and limo business — can leave it vulnerable to ethical breaches. Also, the dog-eat-dog ethos that Uber is so happy to embrace as an advantage when it enters new markets — gleefully undercutting competitors and disregarding laws it doesn’t like — sits uncomfortably against the egalitarian values that the new generation of sharing-economy start-ups promote.

The ride-sharing, house-sharing, wallet-sharing economy where Uber now ranks as the leading player is built on a notion, which eBay famously made into a successful business principle, that people are basically good — or at least they can be relied upon to behave well when subject to review and monitoring by their peers. But Uber’s success in building market share is based on the willingness of its leaders to, where necessary, shamelessly give the finger to anyone who gets in its way.

That Uber has been able to raise so much new cash — with more in the works — shows that investors aren’t too bothered by the privacy flap or jurisdictional dust-ups. In his December blog post, Kalanick said that “the new financing will allow Uber to make substantial investments, particularly in the Asia Pacific region.” Uber’s efforts in that part of the world are already well under way. Want a ride in Bangalore? Kalanick had you covered. Uber has aggressively expanded into India, slashing prices to undercut competition. But even there it has its problems: Just days after it revealed its latest capital infusion, Uber was banned from operating in New Delhi after an alleged rape by one of its drivers. The ban was subsequently extended across India.

Kalanick issued a statement calling what took place in New Delhi “horrific.” He pledged that Uber will work with the Indian government to establish clear background checks for drivers. “We will also partner closely with the groups who are leading the way on women’s safety here in New Delhi and around the country and invest in technology advances to help make New Delhi a safer city for women,” Kalanick said. If they wish to achieve universal success, the bad boys of Uber might have to become good guys, and that includes embracing women’s rights.

— Imogen Rose-Smith