The Party Without a Product: Inside Lyft's New York Launch
Image: LYFT  New York City's newest transportation app is still
preparing for Lyft-off.  About 2,500 people packed into a
warehouse in Brooklyn Friday night to celebrate the launch of
the ride-sharing startup Lyft. But among the guests wearing pink
mustaches, drinking free beer and dancing to live music was one
major issue: Lyft is still illegal in the city.  The New York
City Taxi and Limousine Commission put the brakes on Lyft's
official app launch by filing a restraining order on Friday,
saying that regulatory laws for the startup still need to be
enacted.  However, Lyft had already scheduled its launch party,
and said via an official blog post that the event was still on.
It received 6,000 RSVPs, and was promoted heavily on social
media:   Taxi drivers, who are concerned the startup will cut
into their business, protested outside the party. They held
signs that read, "Lyft Yourself Out of NY" and other slogans
criticizing the company.  "What Lyft