"Uber could make the recent complaints go away fairly quickly. It could drop surge pricing. And it could acquiesce and change its service in cities where government and industry have come out against it."
This is false. If Uber gives an inch, their competitors will go for the kill and move on to targeting the jugular. What they want is for Uber to not exist, and for there to be no new competitor or revolution in their business. There is no way to appease their competitors that results in Uber surviving as a useful service.
What Uber's competitors want is very simple: 1) they want to not have to compete with any innovation; 2) they do not want to have to change or improve their services; 3) they want no new, fast growing entrants allowed in their markets
Basically what they want is a frozen, guaranteed market with zero market forces. That's why their response is: violence, regulations, political leverage, etc (anything but innovation or actually competing with Uber).
This is false. If Uber gives an inch, their competitors will go for the kill and move on to targeting the jugular. What they want is for Uber to not exist, and for there to be no new competitor or revolution in their business. There is no way to appease their competitors that results in Uber surviving as a useful service.
What Uber's competitors want is very simple: 1) they want to not have to compete with any innovation; 2) they do not want to have to change or improve their services; 3) they want no new, fast growing entrants allowed in their markets
Basically what they want is a frozen, guaranteed market with zero market forces. That's why their response is: violence, regulations, political leverage, etc (anything but innovation or actually competing with Uber).