‘The Information’ reports this morning (my bold)

Uber said its mobility division (the ride-hailing business most people know the company for) brought in $3.8 billion in revenue in the most recent quarter, growing 73%. But baked into that number is $1.1 billion flowing from a change earlier this year that prompted Uber to start recording all the fares it gets in the U.K. as revenue, instead of just the take rates remaining after the company pays its drivers.

I assume this is because Uber lost the battle in the courts about whether the drivers worked for them or were independent in the UK. So - if they work for them, then the whole ride is revenue. BUT - there will now be a flip side to that, in that there are now a whole lot of expenses on the other side that need to be taken out.

Is there an accountant in the house that is tracking the shenanigans that is - and seemingly always will be - ‘Uber’.

In many ways the 1619 Project is focused on unpacking actual history from the American narrative of history.

Meanwhile, I continue to be bowled over by the story/stories that are emerging in Rachel Maddow’s new podcast. I am so often amazed that I jump onto the internet to cross-check what I am hearing but the fact is that though the Ultra Podcast is telling a different story - it is again focused on unpacking history from the American narrative of history.

Unlike the 1619 project - Maddow’s story is much more recent and there are many accounts, news items, photographs and stories just out there for anybody to read and hear. Maddow has just done a great job in connecting the dots - because it is all otherwise ‘hidden in plain sight’.

It’s too obvious to go into the parallels of these stories from the late 30s and early 40s to the more recent stories of the late 10s and early 20s.

What is mind-blowing is that until Maddow came out with this podcast, this whole sad thing was buried, lost and forgotten.

My prior posts re Ultra …

• October 11th
• October 15th
• October 19th

An old adage - but is ‘top of mind’ recently.

• If the IRS want ‘a little chat with you’ …. would you ‘do some research’ and then take the case on, or go find a tax accountant?

• If you needed medical attention would you have a friend ‘check out the symptoms and then diagnose you - or would you go to a doctor?

• If you were sued for malpractice … get a lawyer - or ‘bone up’ on what youneed to know

…. you know the list is endless.

There is a tech podcast I listen to regularly - and a recurring theme is the difficulty of doing sales and marketing …

The solution - apparently - is to do some internet research - and ‘fix the problem’.

As I say - recurring.

I don’t listen to every edition - but I listen enough to be confident in my assertion that ‘they have not ever reached out to a professional sales / marketing person that could help them and I wonder why this is?

I do lay part of the blame at the feet of those people who lead those disciplines. I do understand that there are schmucks in those two worlds that makes you wonder how they make a living - but we also know there are bad lawyers, bad accountants, bad doctors ….

But Sales and Marketing? It can’t be that hard … I’ll read up and solve my problem.

Meanwhile

I find that it is tech-oriented people who are particularly flawed when it comes to this kind of ‘thinking’ - and I use that word loosely.

Anyway - that’s all I have to say. Right now I have an app to build this week. It’s all worked out. This afternoon I am going read up on java and python. Then tomorrow I will build my prototype. Should be all done by the weekend.

I mean - it can’t be that hard can it?