While I already have several books that I'm not working enough on (Ordinary People & The Road Ahead e.g.), I figured let's start a new one haha!
Well, not really...
Like the title says, this is not a book. It's a collection of random thoughts and ar...
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November 16th, 2017
Headline the day before yesterday: "Lyft is going North of the Wall!"
Yes, the company announced that Toronto is the first choice of Lyft CEO John Zimmer for its expansion beyond US borders. Lyft is coming aggressively for Uber's non-US monopoly as the San Francisco-based company is gearing up towards a potential IPO.
Uber is popular here in Toronto. When the company disrupted the city's transportation business it caused quite a storm. It didn't take long for taxi drivers to protest, block off streets, and even assault Uber drivers.
Some people say there is no such thing as 'bad advertising', but the downtown gridlock that was created by the taxi protest predominantly caused two things: first, Uber drivers flocked to the impacted area around Toronto's iconic (and absolutely hideous - let's be honest) City Hall to get stranded commuters to their destinations, and secondly, Millennials, Xennials (yes, that is a thing), and even some Gen X'ers united in counter-protests both on- and offline. I saw people that I know never protested a single thing in their life get on the metaphorical barricade (even if it was just joining a Facebook petition).
The sentiment of "don't you dare touch my Uber" has gradually evolved to "it'll be good if there's some healthy competition to Uber." It'll be interesting to see how quickly Lyft takes off and what impact it has on the availability and rates of Uber.
The move to Toronto makes a lot of sense. Its urban area is the 5th largest in the US and Canada combined, and has one the highest standards of living. It's especially a hub for young people with several large universities in the area. Every time you blink your eyes, a handful of new tech start-up have been founded. And finally, all of the major sports teams are located in the downtown core. Nope, I'm not (yet) going to be declaring Toronto is the new San Francisco - we're not even close in attracting similar amounts of VC investment - but the move makes a lot of sense.
But this post isn't about the benefits of an open free market (or duopoly in this case) and the existence of invisible hands or other body parts. It's actually about the actual headline of the announcement, which made me giggle.
For so many people Toronto seems to be this distant, barren and cold wasteland. Maybe they are thinking of Montreal (je m'excuse mes amis, c'est juste une blague)? The truth is, Toronto is not that far north compared to San Francisco: they are at 37°47'N latitude, and we are at 43°42'N. That's roughly 415 miles... or the same distance from San Francisco to Roseburg, Oregon.
That's right: most of Oregon is farther North than Toronto!
When I used to work for Microsoft, every single call or meeting with people from HQ in Redmond, Washington would start with the question: "How are things up North?" And, no they were not talking about Canada as a whole. Obviously, the State of Washington has a more tempered climate than South Ontario (we have four seasons - they have two: wet and more wet), but a fact is that the Seattle area is much farther North than Toronto.
This is not a rant, just a giggle. After all, we're the ones instigating it! All of Canada might be 'the True North, strong and free', but ask any Raptors fan who we are and the only answer you'll get is "We The North!"
When you walk along Queen St, Ossington Ave, or through the colourful Kensington Market, you'll see plenty of Toronto-pride apparel, boasting slogans such as "The North Against Everyone Else."
And you know what, if we are to be compared to anyone form the Game Of Thrones universe, by all means: let's be the Free Folk, the Wildlings, the ultimate bad asses.
Let's be honest, the Westerosi wildlings do look like a bunch of hosers that learned to cross-check before they could walk properly. And you know what, if the NHL season continues this way, the Leafs might just bring the Stanley cup back home! The fact that this would happen thanks to a team with probably the least amount of Canadians in franchise history (less than half of the roster) is totally beside the point. Go Leafs, go!
So go ahead, call us the North, call us wildlings, we'll own it.
So yeah, long story short: welcome Lyft, you're going to love it here!
