This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The ridesharing industry is getting a lot of press in the last couple of days. Here and elsewhere. Most of it bad.

Rideshare firms to SLC: Our way or the highway — Christopher Smart | The Salt Lake Tribune

"Rideshare companies Uber, Lyft and Sidecar threw down the gauntlet Monday to the Salt Lake City Council: If you pass that proposed ordinance, we'll pack up our smartphone app and leave town.

"In full page ads in The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News, the rideshare enterprises warned the council that if it passes proposed amendments to the ground-transportation ordinance, it would send a message that the city is closed to innovation.

"In interviews Monday, Uber and Lyft told The Tribune that approval of the new regulations would prompt the new services to abandon Salt Lake City.

"The vote is scheduled for Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 451 S. State. ..."

Uber and allies shouldn't bully local governments — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial

"OK. So maybe a legacy industry that's being undercut by disruptive innovators using mobile technologies doesn't have a lot of street cred when criticizing a business that's rapidly undermining another century-old business model.

"But that doesn't mean that the Salt Lake City Council should simply stand aside and allow ridesharing operators such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar to roll into town with no regard for the city's duty to protect the public.

"And it certainly doesn't mean that the editorial voice of this creaky old newspaper is going to sit still while one of the leading executives in the ridesharing world threatens to dig dirt on any journalist whose writing displeases him. ..."

Trib Talk: Regulating Lyft, Uber and other ride-sharing companies in Utah — Jennifer Napier-Pearce | The Salt Lake Tribune

"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. ..."

That female journalist is:

Why I've just deleted Uber from my phone — Sarah Lacy | PandoDaily

" ... Uber is a company that presents itself as a way for people to get home safely after a night of drinking. Uber passengers are often locked, alone, late at night in a metal box with Uber drivers. Because of the service Uber offers as a company, the CEO and its investors need to go out of their way to set the tone that objectification of women is simply not acceptable. ..."

And this is what she was upset about:

— Sexist French Uber Promotion Pairs Riders With "Hot Chick" Drivers — Charlie Warzel | BuzzFeed

"Yesterday, Uber's Lyon office unveiled a new promotion with an app called 'Avions de Chasse.' The deal pairs Uber riders with 'hot chick' drivers as they make their way across the city. ..."

Uber, a Start-Up Going So Fast It Could Miss a Turn — Farhad Manjoo | The New York Times

"In just four years of operation, Uber has ignited a new global ride-sharing industry with the promise of transforming urban transportation and helping many people get by without owning cars.

"But these days, the hot start-up is facing its toughest challenge yet — curbing its ugliest, most aggressive impulses before its win-at-all-cost culture begins to turn off investors, potential employees and the ride-hailing public at large. ..."

"The problem with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick isn't just that he's a jerk. It's that he runs a company with a ton of information about its users. Information is power, and there's zero reason to believe Kalanick will use that power responsibly. ..."

— Uber's disgraceful ploy to intimidate the media — Rem Rieder | USA Today

The Ten Worst Uber Horror Stories — Olivia Nuzzi | The Daily Beast