What a prince…
Prince of assholes, that is.
PR epic-fail.
You do not, repeat not, attack an inconvenient journo. It only gives them more power.
In today’s fragmented media landscape you will let the stories be drowned by other stories, and forgotten within hours. The top-10 on search engines then can be handled by positive articles in more-read and linked-to media; standard SEO strategies apply here.
And yes, the “do nothing” advice is often the most difficult to follow. People, especially the aggressive confrontational startup-grade ones, are wired for action, to go after the ball. Inaction on an issue goes against their personality. Neverthless, inaction and silence are often the best PR tools.
But, whatever you do, you do not ever, EVER, go against the journo personally. That makes headlines that are difficult to drown and take longer to fizzle out.
But ultimately even they fizzle out, and in a year or two few will remember…
PR fail?!
Ethics fail.
OK. So, what can I use without suporting mysoginistic oppressors of the 1st ammendment. And don’t tell me “taxis.”
Wouldn’t that depend on how it was done? I mean if PACs have taught me anything it is that you can create a fake “grass roots” campaign against anything.
Destroying Sarah Lacy’s reputation with faux outrage from the “folks” seems entirely possible. Especially if it was something hard to disprove like kickbacks for good press (see: GamerGate) - though people who know her would certainly realize it was false, with enough money, I think you could drown those people out.
Of course, if you’re going to do such a thing, you need to not announce it to a dinner full of people.
Whew! THAT was a quick flagdown!
OK, now that that yambag is gone… no, folks, no legit exec of a legit company can EVER come off in a good light by attacking journos. Just no. Even if you and all of your friends disagree with the tale the journo tells (I don’t), attacking the messenger ends up being a bigger (and messier) story than anything the journo had to say.
Bicycles. Private car. Rideshares with friends and cow-orkers. Public transportation. Feet. Segway. Motorcycle. All those modes we used in the thousands of years before Uber existed.
Rollerskates, unicycles, water buffalo (if you’ve got time to get wherever you need to go), piggyback rides, zip-lines, and horses.
(sorry, just wanted to add to the list)
Also, how does one “ork” a cow?
I think you have to be a Chaotic Neutral Cleric around the 6th level. At that point you can probably transport yourself and not have to rely on a company with an exec like this dbag.
Emil Michael, came to Uber from Klout. No wonder he’s such a charmer.
Had my first uber experience. Watched my friend uber a Chrysler 200 for a group of six of us. So me and the other tall guy walked half a block, hailed a cab, and were back to the hotel 20 minutes before the uber group, and without leg cramps, because their smallish car driver got lost.
Suspicions: confirmed.
I feel I live in an age where every entrepreneur/founder is some sort of folk hero. Their personal messages written in fake handwriting on the wrapping on my organic chocolate, their enthusiastic statements on my single source coffee, yadda yadda yadda, usually on a first name basis.
But this organisational culture where so much power and influence resides in a single alpha-individual fails to filter away the assholes. I’m of the demographic that instinctively distrusts larger corporations, but I am starting to have second thoughts. At least in (well run) larger units there are more likely to be checks and balances against this sort of mafia don management.
This adds to my sense that Uber’s cultural isn’t a very ethical one so I’ll continue not using their service.
I think we can coin a term here; alpha fails. Seems to fit this situation nicely.
“The remarks attributed to me at a private dinner — borne out of frustration during an informal debate over what I feel is sensationalistic media coverage of the company I am proud to work for — do not reflect my actual views and have no relation to the company’s views or approach.”
“Do not reflect … the company’s … approach.” Well at least now they certainly won’t.
I have this idea for an app where you can call an independent person to get a piggyback ride…
I’ve lost the ability to tell the difference between the Captains of Wall St and the Titans of Silicon Valley.
Not to mention laws protecting employees’ rights, consumers, and the environment in the best case scenario.
funruly, try using the smell test –
Needs mouthwash: Captain
Needs shower: Titan
Needs diaper change: Politician
Well, the law applies to entrepreneurs too. You can’t argue straightforwardly that founder-led organisations pollute more. But perhaps you could argue that in an entrepreneur led organisation there are fewer employees who’d dare to blow the whistle when the law is broken.
