If the Shoe Fits: Regulations and George Hotz
by Miki SaxonA Friday series exploring Startups and the people who make them go. Read all If the Shoe Fits posts here
Startups love to rail against regulations, claiming they stifle innovation.
Uber and Airbnb are two of the most aggressive fighting them, not to mention the loudest.
What do you think?
Do you believe that eliminating/diluting regulations would provide the necessary boost to bring innovations to fruition?
Uber and Airbnb brazenly ignored regulations and, when that didn’t work, took their fight to the court of public opinion, lobbied for legal change and sued.
Would eliminating regulations have made Theranos’ blood tests work and produced a better outcome for its customers?
Autonomous and semi-autonomous cars are another battlefield.
And for all its high-profile supporters, millions of people around the globe are concerned with safety — with good reason.
Obviously, regulations aren’t all bad, especially when when the cost of ignoring or eliminating them could be measured in lives lost.
Regulations are something that startup CEOs need to deal with and most do.
Most, but not George Hotz.
When he received a letter from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found a third option — turn tail and run.
Comma.AI, a startup run by famous hacker George Hotz, has shut down its project dedicated to building a Tesla-like semi-autonomous driving system after a warning from the federal government. (…) The cancellation was prompted by a letter Comma.AI received from the , which asked the startup to provide information to ensure the product’s safety or face civil penalties of up to $21,000 a day.
Considering the product was a $1000 DIY semi-autonomous kit the market would likely be huge.
It seems reasonable to me to ask for proof it was safe, just as Theranos was asked for proof.
However, unlike Theranos’ CEO, Hotz didn’t dance, blow smoke or wave mirrors — he turned tail and claimed a pivot.
Would much rather spend my life building amazing tech than dealing with regulators and lawyers. It isn’t worth it. -GH 2/3
— comma ai (@comma_ai) October 28, 2016
Maybe when you’re 27 and best known for hacking an iPhone as a teen and a PlayStation 3 a few years later that’s what you do when faced with authority.
Image credit: HikingArtist
