We are just f***ing illegal
David Plouffe — Senior VP of Policy and Strategy, Uber, Keynote at 1776 Incubator, Washington DC
“Uber operates in a modern digital framework. Outdated taxi regulations from the 1930s simply never envisioned smartphone-based peer transportation.”
Nairi Hourdajian — Head of Global Communications, Uber, Internal email to executives
“Sometimes we have problems because, well, we are just f***ing illegal.”
The Split:In policy speeches, Uber framed its stance as an ideological clash between 21st-century tech and obsolete 1930s rules. In internal comms, the head of communications put it bluntly: 'we are just f***ing illegal.'
Euphemisms about 'regulatory ambiguity' usually translate internally to: we know we are violating the law, but we can out-raise the fines.