w00tw00tw00t

I think it's pretty stupid to consider any consumer device to be secure enough. I did hear on HN some time before that interview that some USB device can be used to bypass the lock screen, which was the basis for my worrying. Now, some are saying in this thread that it is possible (or at least was at the time) while others saying that it is not (and was not) -- Even an educated sample of tech folks cannot make up their mind, so there is (or at least was) room for justified concern... no?

it wasn't a company laptop

I think you might be right, but I had reason to worry given Uber's history with competitors, esp. industrial espionage. They were actively competing with the company I worked for at the time. The laptop was my own, but I have no reason to assume that they knew that. I did have some material of my own that I considered to be valuable to their business so I was concerned primarily about that (I had done things that have pushed the envelop quite a bit in a very specialized area that they were just getting into) All of those factors made me paranoid. If Uber was a good corporate citizen with no history of actively and illegally spying on competitors, I would not have been so freaked out after that episode. Call me paranoid... what's new.

they did not offer to provide me with a laptop and the interview format was such that I could google things and share some of my personal projects etc

as a candidate you're trying to please and build trust, so naturally I wouldn't raise questions that would indicate my lack of trust

No, how do you do that?

Proof I'm paranoid. My greater point, however, is that they have done some really shady stuff, and stealing competitor's IP is part of their culture, so their behavior itself promotes and justifies paranoia on my part and on the part of anyone looking to work for or do business with Uber.

Reputation is everything.

I had an interview there where the manager asked me to leave my laptop behind and go for a walk. I was hesitant after hearing stories of Uber conducting electronic espionage against its competitors. They could easily bypass Macbook security with a USB device (I had heard of that on HN too) so I was very nervous to leave my laptop behind and noted its exact orientation and position on the table. Sure enough when I returned my laptop had changed both position and orientation, but only enough to tell if you had specifically memorized it. I could be paranoid. They could have simply moved things on the desk. But anyway, people who are paranoid like me are advised not to take their laptops into Uber interviews. They are capable of just about anything, or so thinks my now paranoid self.

An idiotic response given that "subprime autoloans or deceiving the press or sharing private user data for fun and games at a party" cannot be due to drivers.

Long winded title could be a sign of long winded article

There is an old saying: a fish rots from the head down.

If not Hitler than Hannibal Lecter

My point is that we're all jerks, one way or another, just don't really know it or admit to it, but we know that everyone has done something that warrants them being called a jerk by someone. No one lives a whole life without being called a jerk by someone. I once thought Mother Theresa was a jerk for being so nice. These labels are subjective and inflammatory. and don't help the situation.

recursion limit of 0 on this stack!

to call anyone a "jerk" is something that only jerks do, but everyone looks at themselves as holier than thou. We're all flawed in some way. Labeling people (or attacking people) as "jerks" is in profound violation the principle of non-violent communication, to say the least, and, by the way, so is down-voting those who are critical of the prevailing opinion here without a civil counter argument ;-)

a bit sexist/condescending here? you're implying s 17 year old boy wouldn't say that? why refer to gender?

Not soon enough.

Signed up to help. If you are serious about helping, I urge you to do so as well.

Saudi men committed the terrorist act of 9/11 and the Orlando shooter was of Afghani origin. But Trump banned people from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Yemen & Sudan. What kind of logic is that?

I disagree wholeheartedly with the idea that the United States of America should ban people based on their country of origin. That is UnAmerican. But I do find the above illogical and very fishy.