[zephen]

Especially if he was going to stay relatively small.

I thought Youtube was going to be sued into oblivion.

I thought Uber was going to be regulated into oblivion.

etc.

Money obviously can overcome existing laws, but if you're not prepared for those laws, you will be in for a world of hurt.

[giarc]

I don't think you are making the point you think you are. Youtube confirms to copyright law because they got big enough to notice. Uber is regulated because they got big enough to notice.

[zephen]

It's not that simple.

Any less money or worse lawyers, and youtube would have been sued into oblivion.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/mar/14/copyright...

> Uber is regulated because they got big enough to notice.

Nobody in their right mind thinks that Uber suffers under the same level of restriction as taxi drivers historically did.

> because they got big enough to notice.

Nobody who paid attention to the shameful RIAA shenanigans a couple of decades ago can possibly believe that "big enough to notice" was anything more than sharing one song.

Sure, you can share with your friends all you want now, because all the songs are freely available due to an uneasy truce, but the default posture of IP lawyers is to sue them all now, and sort them out later.