512 Pixels

Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith:

A senior executive at Uber suggested that the company should consider hiring a team of opposition researchers to dig up dirt on its critics in the media — and specifically to spread details of the personal life of a female journalist who has criticized the company.

The executive, Emil Michael, made the comments in a conversation he later said he believed was off the record. In a statement through Uber Monday evening, he said he regretted them and that they didn’t reflect his or the company’s views.

Even if we weren’t in a world where assholes have rallied under the GamerGate banner to dox women in the gaming industry, Emil Michael’s comments are unbelievable.

The journalist in question is Sarah Lacy, the Founder and Editor-in-chief at PandoDaily.

She writes, referencing the BuzzFeed article linked above:

Today, in his horrifying scoop, Smith writes about the the lengths that at least one Uber executive, Emil Michael, was willing to go to discredit anyone– particularly a woman– who may try to question how Uber operates.

Ruining her life? Manufacturing lies? Going after her family? Apparently it’s all part of what Uber has described as its “political campaign” to build a $30 billion (and counting) tech company. A campaign that David Plouffe was hired to “run,” that’s looking more like a pathetic version of play acting House of Cards than a real campaign run by a real political professional. Because step one of an illegal smear campaign against a woman is: Don’t brag about it to a journalist at a party.

The woman in question? The woman that this Uber executive has vowed to go to nearly any lengths to ruin, to bully into silence? Me.

Horrifying.

There’s not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that Uber should fire Emil Michael, but instead, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick took to Twitter and wrote:

Emil’s comments at the recent dinner party were terrible and do not represent the company. His remarks showed a lack of leadership, a lack of humanity, and a departure from our values and ideals

Of course, considering this, I can see why Michael still has a job.

Uber has a serious culture problem, and it seems to come from the top. Investors should push for these assholes to be fired, and customers should respond by leaving the service behind. Next time I need a hired car, I won’t be taking an Uber.

Nilay Patel:

One of the best things about the iPod when it first came out was explaining how it worked — it was so simple, and people figured it out so fast. Same with the iPhone and iPad. You get the feeling that won’t be the case with the Apple Watch.

I have the same concerns, honestly.

Developers can get started on Glances and Actionable Notifications now; it looks like “fully native app” support is coming until later next year. Looks like the Watch will require iOS 8.2 on the iPhone.

Shawn Blanc:

Just one long year ago today we launched The Sweet Setup. Our aim was to be the place you go when you (or your friends) want the best app for a certain category. That is still our aim.

Over the past year, we’ve done our best to write some of [the best app reviews you can find, share interesting and fun interviews with folks about the computer gear they use, and write helpful tips to help you get the most out of the apps you use.

I remember when Shawn called me — yes, we talk on the actual phone — to pitch me an idea for a new website. That conversation became The Sweet Setup. I was happy to join as managing editor, and wrote one of the launch-day app reviews. In the year since, I’ve taken over as Editor-in-Chief, and get to work with some of the smartest guys in the business.

Apps are a personal thing. The tools we choose to use day in and day out can make our work faster and easier. Picking the right one is hard; a lot of work goes into our app picks, and the TSS staff and our army of freelancers take picking our favorites very seriously.

Here’s to another year of being serious.

Ingrid Lunden at TechCrunch:

Spotify’s upcoming integration with Uber — getting announced formally today — is not the only development the music streaming service has planned to grow its business. The company has plans for a podcasting service as well as an as-yet undetermined feature that is currently set up under the name “Magic.”

iTunes adding podcast support was the Big Bang for medium, and if Spotify is about to follow suit, it could be just as big of a deal.

However, I’d be lying to say I’m not nervous about this potential move. If Spotify moves in with terms that aren’t favorable to podcasters — hi, Stitcher! — it doesn’t really help anyone who isn’t willing to play ball.

Of course, it’s way too early to know how this will go down. I’m excited for a service of Spotify’s size to embrace podcasting, but I worry how they may throw around their weight.

You’re a writer. You’re a blogger. You demand the best tools for the job and yet there’s so much “bloatware” out there that has totally forgotten what a writer truly needs.

We haven’t forgotten and we’ve created a surprisingly-powerful yet simple hyper-focused writing and publishing app just for you. We hope you fall in love with writing and consequently share more of those amazing must-read narratives with the world.

Say “Hi” to the last desktop publishing client that you’ll ever need: Desk.

This week, on Connected:

This week, Stephen explains Net Neutrality to the Europeans, Myke explains YouTube Music and why Evernote Context doesn’t bother him before Federico explains how bit rot in the App Store makes him sad.

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MG Siegler:

Coming out in favor of net neutrality is pretty much the easiest high ground one can grab. The President knows that his Republican counterparts will largely take the unpopular position defending the business interests of the telco companies under the guise of free market weasel-speak.

The only slight friction for the President here is that his strong stance puts Tom Wheeler, the FCC chairman that he appointed, in a tough spot. It’s a lose-lose for Wheeler. If he supports the President’s position, he’s a White House stooge. If he opposes it, he’s the fall guy. And it sure looks like he’s getting ready to oppose it…

But the President had to know this as well. I mean, he appointed a former telco lobbyist to the position of FCC chairman. People were outraged about this for about five minutes. Now we see why this was such a dumbfoundingly bad idea. I don’t care how much money Wheeler raised for the President, it’s a bad idea to appoint the most biased person possible to such a position of power.

Brian Fung and Nancy Scola, for The Washington Post:

Huddled in an FCC conference room Monday with officials from major Web companies, including Google, Yahoo and Etsy, agency Chairman Tom Wheeler said he has preferred a more nuanced solution. That approach would deliver some of what Obama wants but also would address the concerns of the companies that provide Internet access to millions of Americans, such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable and AT&T.

“What you want is what everyone wants: an open Internet that doesn’t affect your business,” a visibly frustrated Wheeler said at the meeting, according to four people who attended. “What I’ve got to figure out is how to split the baby.”

Well, shit.

My friend and fellow Volunteer State citizen Bradley Chambers, over on Tools and Toys:

With the growth of social media, video games, and streaming services, many people are finding they don’t use their cable subscription enough to justify the continued expense. We get our news, entertainment, movies, and TV shows through other channels now. This guide is about getting the right gear to make a smooth transition away from cable or satellite into cheaper alternatives.

I would say you should send this to Instapaper, but Tools and Toys is just too pretty not to visit directly.

We live in the future.

Net neutrality is important. If you aren’t familiar with the term, let CGP Grey explain:

In short, net neutrality promises protection from Internet service providers slowing traffic down based on content or source.

This morning, the President issued a statement urging the FCC to consider Internet access as a public utility, which would forbid companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from creating “fast lanes” on the Internet.

While the FCC boss has a questionable background, thankfully, Congress isn’t in charge of this issue. This tweet from Senator Ted Cruz has been making the rounds today:

“Net Neutrality” is Obamacare for the Internet; the Internet should not operate at the speed of government.

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) November 10, 2014

The glaring issue I have with this tweet aside, Cruz’s misguided view of net neutrality scares the shit out of me because he’s not the only who holds it, ironically.

Here’s the thing: I make my living on the Internet. My startup exists solely on the Internet. I work as a freelancer on the Internet. I’ve written on this site for six years, and in case you haven’t noticed, it’s not a print magazine.

In a world without the protections of net neutrality, Comcast could demand more money from our podcast host for our audio files to cross their network. If our host refused, my podcast downloads could be slow for Comcast customers, but if they paid the ransom, they would have to charge their customers more, taking a bigger bite out of Relay FM’s budget each month.

In a world without the protections of net neutrality, Comcast could read this blog post and make my site unreachable. Likewise, Verizon could read this one and make my site slower than Daring Fireball for their LTE customers.

But that side work is only a third of my income. I have a day job at an agency where we design and develop websites for businesses, schools and organizations. If our hosting partner were unable to cut a deal with AT&T, U-Verse customers could have longer page load times on our sites, which would upset our clients.

Here’s the thing: I’m not special for making my living online. The Internet has allowed countless businesses to blossom, creating an untold number of jobs. These companies provide goods and services for millions of people, and not just in America.

Allowing a handful of the most powerful companies on the planet to control how information flows on the Internet is reckless at best. Considering ISPs spent $42 million from January to July this year on lobbying, reckless may be the wrong word.

Evil may be a better choice.