Great synopsis. However, maybe this is more of a publicity stunt? He probably knows the case isn't going to work out in his favor, but perhaps he thinks the headlines will.
Aaron has been banging on about this for a long time — you can check his posting history here if you doubt his integrity. I think he really does sincerely believe these companies are doing something against the rules and hopes to get a ruling on the matter, either forcing them to follow the rules or creating an explicit exemption that Aaron can use for his own company.
Aaron's concern over the law has been dismissed out-of-hand over and over again on forums like HN. It must be maddening to build a successful business, then have a new law come up that regulates your business out of its market, and then see other people build businesses that should be subject to the same regulation but aren't because the law isn't being enforced fairly.
I'd expect that his position at this point is that he wants other people to care about this as much as he does, and if they won't, then he'll do his level best to force them to care about it.
I'm concerned about Aaron though. I like the guy, inasmuch as I can like anyone I've never met, and I worry that he's going to put himself into an unrecoverable position fighting this fight -- that it will ruin him financially, or worse still, harm his mental or physical health.
It's a terrible damn situation. It unfortunately is probably also unwinnable. That's totally unfair to Aaron, but sometimes life's like that. You have to know when to fight and when to fall back. In his place, if I could, I'd probably give everybody the finger and move to another country and restart operations there.
chc|13 years ago
thaumaturgy|13 years ago
I'd expect that his position at this point is that he wants other people to care about this as much as he does, and if they won't, then he'll do his level best to force them to care about it.
I'm concerned about Aaron though. I like the guy, inasmuch as I can like anyone I've never met, and I worry that he's going to put himself into an unrecoverable position fighting this fight -- that it will ruin him financially, or worse still, harm his mental or physical health.
It's a terrible damn situation. It unfortunately is probably also unwinnable. That's totally unfair to Aaron, but sometimes life's like that. You have to know when to fight and when to fall back. In his place, if I could, I'd probably give everybody the finger and move to another country and restart operations there.