[HN Gopher] Interview with CEO of Flexport: Supply chain crunch,...
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Interview with CEO of Flexport: Supply chain crunch, modern
       logistics
        
       Author : got-any-grapes
       Score  : 39 points
       Date   : 2022-01-03 15:47 UTC (7 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (noahpinion.substack.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (noahpinion.substack.com)
        
       | devnulll wrote:
       | > "You can't return empties, so you can't free up the chassis
       | required to move full containers out of the port. And because
       | you're not pulling the containers out of the port, you're not
       | able to return empties to the port. I did not know that this was
       | the case before I went down there. We only discovered it during
       | that three-hour boat ride."
       | 
       | It's interesting that he got this data by asking the owners of
       | the many different companies involved (Ports / shipping /
       | trucking).
       | 
       | Is this gridlock something that could be solved at-scale through
       | short-term government intervention? That is, could the military
       | provide "Free" storage in a boneyard out in the desert near LA
       | for 6-24 months? Could permits and/or fees be waived to provide
       | incentives? Should a new "Reef" be built by depositing 10k empty
       | containers out in the Pacific (ick!)? The problem seems to be
       | getting worse, and tipping points best avoided...
       | 
       | Seems like 1-off efforts to unlock the gridlock may be needed.
        
       | danvoell wrote:
       | Great Interview, enjoyed this a lot. Interesting to think about
       | different points of supply and the communication systems. I deal
       | with this obfuscation on a daily basis.
        
       | Bilal_io wrote:
       | Ryan Petersen is a very smart person and is fun to listen to. It
       | was sad to see him spewing BS on Twitter against taxing the rich.
       | But he's got to protect his money I guess.
        
         | umvi wrote:
         | Wealth taxes are different from income taxes and are
         | controversial. Other contries have tried wealth taxes and later
         | reneged. Just because you believe they are great doesn't mean
         | anyone who disagrees is "spewing BS".
        
         | nickff wrote:
         | Your comment here contains nothing of substance. You compliment
         | his intellect, but imply he is a liar or a shill (it's not
         | clear which). From reading this comment (and not the Twitter
         | thread) I'd guess you were the one who was wrong. Is it
         | possible that he believes what he's saying, that it was well-
         | reasoned, and that your view is flawed?
        
           | storyinmemo wrote:
           | Spewing BS doesn't in this context seem to imply either lying
           | or shilling for somebody else. It's a devaluing the opinion
           | of no taxing the rich, and being disappointed at the
           | expression of that opinion.
        
             | nickff wrote:
             | Parent said Petersen was "spewing BS... to protect his
             | money", I suppose that may not quite be shilling, it's more
             | being deceptive and greedy/crass? I am happy to accept
             | clearer wording if you've got any ideas.
        
           | Bilal_io wrote:
           | I simply said I liked the guy, and I disagree with him on
           | something specific. I am sure he believed what he said. I
           | simply disagree with it.
        
             | nickff wrote:
             | Your original comment:
             | 
             | > _" Ryan Petersen is a very smart person and is fun to
             | listen to. It was sad to see him spewing BS on Twitter
             | against taxing the rich. But he's got to protect his money
             | I guess."_
             | 
             | You didn't actually "[say] you liked the guy", and you
             | didn't "disagree with him on something specific". You said
             | he is "a very smart person" and that he was "spewing BS...
             | to protect his money".
        
               | leovander wrote:
               | First sentence sounds like a compliment, so I can imply
               | that he likes the guy. And the second one is specific
               | enough about him tweeting about taxing the rich. You
               | might need to block *ycombinator.com in your hosts file
               | for the day.
        
               | Bilal_io wrote:
               | If I said it's fun to listen to him, it means I find him
               | likable. And I did mention one specific issue I didn't
               | like/disagreed with him on, which was him spewing BS
               | against taxing the rich.
        
       | newprint wrote:
       | I used to work for UPS and tried to understand Flexport business
       | model, but could not find any value that Flexport bringing to the
       | table. Can someone explain to me what value Flexport is bringing
       | ?
        
         | ericcholis wrote:
         | Having a friend in an adjacent business, my understanding is
         | that the Freight Forwarding & Brokerage business was very
         | "hands on" and not as "customer" friendly as tracking consumer
         | shipments. I think Flexport is (was?) suggesting that they
         | could modernize that business. Or, I completely missed the
         | target on that perspective.
        
         | nickff wrote:
         | I am not a FlexPort customer, but it seems like they are trying
         | to be an online-first (modern) freight forwarder.
        
       ___________________________________________________________________
       (page generated 2022-01-03 23:00 UTC)