So now, friends, to today’s Startup 101 class. The subject is decency and the thesis is painfully simple:

Dont Be An Asshole.

This is truly not a deep philosophical argument about individual freedom, nor is it about what a company can legally do given their terms of licensure. It’s about doing the right thing.

Uber is the alternative to cabs that’s popping up in cities all over the place. I tried them for the first time last month when I was in San Francisco for WWDC – a city that’s notoriously hard to get a cab in that isn’t either driven by a complete fucking idiot who doesn’t know where he’s going, smells like shit, piss, puke or the ass of an incense merchant, or has a credit card machine that’s mysteriously not working that day.

I have to say, I was really impressed. The service is prompt, the app works great, the cars are clean and the drivers are polite.

But the first time they try to gouge me on price? My response would be, “Fuck you right in the neck.”