Threat to ride-sharing at Sky Harbor (Phoenix: 2015, private school, salaries)

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by veritased

Well she might be incredibly smart.

You can remove the word "might". It's also obvious that she is driven too.

Originally Posted by veritased

However, as I have found out over the decades, neither the H or the W pedigree can be counted on, and even when the IQ factor is there, there can often be a surprisingly narrow adherence or dependence on incomplete theory, versus a holistic real life approach. As well as especially with H, an arrogance factor that one finds also in more than a few Stanford or MIT grads of the last decade.

It's not a litmus test. Rather, a strong correlation. Of course, there are lousy Stanford, MIT, and Harvard graduates. I cannot comment on legacy grads, but Stanford key to being admitted is they want to see something special. Like, did you already start a small business in high school AND are you in the top 5% on standardized tests and at the top of your high school. The formula works. Ever notice that Stanford grads are mover and shakers in start-ups? Harvard goes after more well-rounded students. Especially those who "give back". So being #1 in your class and a perfect ACT/SAT won't necessarily get you in. Remember, there are 24,000 HS valedictorians... So what. Nearly all recent Harvard students have demonstrated that they are very generous with their time AND smart. As in, how much have you given back to the community at a ripe old age of 18? Yea, most have a liberal mindset. As far as "giving back" criteria, now you know why they have THE largest endowment. Their extremely successful students give back mega $$$$$$$ to Harvard.

Re: The H == arrogance. That's portraited more in the movies than in real life. Like Academy grads supposedly being more arrogant or people from Scottsdale being snooty. People are simply insecure and a touch jealous. I've met and hosted dozens of Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Yale, and Dartmouth grads at our home (our son goes to HMS or Harvard Medical School). And their UG is often from the Ivy's. I don't see their arrogance as a whole. A couple of them. Sure. But the vast majority are humble. Even a little embarrassed talking about their mind-blowing accomplishments. Also, Harvard has a holistic approach and I'd argue more than other highly-ranked colleges. They don't pick the "smartest". Rather extremely smart along with giving back in combo with a well-rounded personality. And yes, a heavy minority blend. There are not a lot of white males roaming the halls. Our son fits that white male profile. I'd argue he had to stand out even more which is fine because white males with a buck in their pocket have it pretty damn good. White privilege is real and I have benefited from it all my life. I digress.....

Back to the Mayor. She is damn smart and motivated. I'm not sure why she would work for $85K. And we agree that her liberal (not a swear word) leaning might cloud her business-minded judgments.

Originally Posted by veritased

On autonomous vehicles, coming from having worked in the ai/deep_learning world, I would not bet on Uber/Lyft going driverless for quite some time. The drive to simulate human decision making is hitting a wall, with increasing returns on existing architectures marginal. We'll need another breakthrough similar to how CNN's hit GPUs about 10 years ago.... new hardware meets new algorithm.

I bet you are right (10 years). Blending in my last statement, some people are overly optimistic, like this guy who says 2020 https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/22/elon...next-year.html For those who say it will never happen simply will be absolutely wrong. Robotaxis will happen before consumers are able to buy cars. And Robotaxis won't be deployed in say, Boston until they are in tons like Surprise (less walkers, traffic, etc). So says the experts. We shall see soon enough.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by wase4711

wow, I'm dizzy from reading all the OT stuff in this thread...keep it going!!

I'm dizzy and I haven't even read half of the thread.

And all of this comparing Uber to Sky Train is bizarre. The two have about as much in common as mouthwash and a taco. For the benefit of some readers... Sky Train is just a replacement for the bus system that used to shuttle travelers around the airport between terminals and parking areas. Soon it will also connect to the rental car plaza and then I gather the busses will be gone entirely. One can argue whether the cost of the Sky Train is justified but it is leaps and bounds above the busses, which were confusing and unpredictable. Any sizable airport has some sort of system for moving travelers around the property, and often it is a train of some sort. Only small airports can expect people to walk everywhere.

[wase4711]

gee, its past jan 1, and uber and Lyft are STILL going to sky harbor...hmmm, a scare tactic gone haywire???

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by wase4711

gee, its past jan 1, and uber and Lyft are STILL going to sky harbor...hmmm, a scare tactic gone haywire???

You expected them to pull out a month before the fee went into place? The fee/tax occurs on February 1st, 2020.

[wase4711]

the news channels have been reporting jan 1st lift/uber was leaving, and we know they are never wrong..
its a moot point, because neither of them will walk away from the lucrative business here..

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by hikernut

I'm dizzy and I haven't even read half of the thread.

And all of this comparing Uber to Sky Train is bizarre. The two have about as much in common as mouthwash and a taco. Sky Train is just a replacement for the bus system that used to shuttle travelers around the airport between terminals and parking areas. Soon it will also connect to the rental car plaza and then I gather the busses will be gone entirely. One can argue whether the cost of the Sky Train is justified but it is leaps and bounds above the busses, which were confusing and unpredictable. Any sizable airport has some sort of system for moving travelers around the property, and often it is a train of some sort. Only small airports can expect people to walk everywhere.

So people locals who get dropped off and picked up with an Uber/Lyft should pay for the new train that goes to the rental cars???? That seems illogical. What's next on their list, charge people a fee who use PreCheck to help pay for the new AMEX Club?

Reality check: they don't want to tax the users of the new train by way or rental car fees because it will reduce rental car usage because it will be more expensive (their revenue stream). They don't have to be logical because they are a monopoly.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by wase4711

the news channels have been reporting jan 1st lift/uber was leaving, and we know they are never wrong..
its a moot point, because neither of them will walk away from the lucrative business here..

As I pointed out eariler, the rideshare companies will be walking for a lost-leader. a.k.a. they will gain money in the short run.

I don't know, maybe they won't pull out. I'm guessing they will.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

So people locals who get dropped off and picked up with an Uber/Lyft should pay for the new train that goes to the rental cars???? That seems illogical. What's next on their list, charge people a fee who use PreCheck to help pay for the new AMEX Club?

Reality check: they don't want to tax the users of the new train by way or rental car fees because it will reduce rental car usage because it will be more expensive (their revenue stream). They don't have to be logical because they are a monopoly.

If it were me, I'd have airport facilities paid only by a tax that is added to airline tickets. Likewise, I'd have drivers pay for maintenance of streets and highways entirely through a fuel tax. I'm still waiting to be appointed King, however!

If you expect taxation to be logical, you're just setting yourself up for eternal frustration

[Burkmere]

Any updates. Lyft and Uber appear to still be runnng. I have a trip to Hawaii in two weeks so wondering of course.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by Burkmere

Any updates. Lyft and Uber appear to still be runnng. I have a trip to Hawaii in two weeks so wondering of course.

I suspect we won't hear any more from either company until the attorney general's office issues its opinion. Attorney General Mark Brnovich promised to issue a finding in response to the request for an investigation by state representative Nancy Barto sometime in January. If the finding is that Phoenix has violated state law, then the city will have 30 days to change its policy or lose its share of state revenue sharing. Since those funds are one-third of the city budget, I predict Phoenix will back down if the AG's ruling is not in the city's favor. In that case, Uber and Lyft won't need to decide whether to make good on their threats. It will become more complicated if the AG rules in favor of Phoenix. If that occurs, then Uber and Lyft will have to decide whether to withdraw right away or continue waiting for the results of court challenges which will take far longer to resolve.