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Comment by r00fus | Hacker News Reader

Necessary for what? What is the end-game of Uber and does that really align with the best interests of their drivers and/or riders?

Uber is revenue unsustainable and driving for a monopoly status on delivery/taxi.

I don't think the ends justify the means here... especially if there's literally casualties involved.

I'd say reckless disregard for traffic laws is pretty universal - go read up comments on a story about texting while driving - 90% are screeds against those who text while driving, recklessly endangering others on the road.

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> Necessary for what?

For many kinds of changes and progress. Disobedience is one of those things that ends up measured by results.

> What is the end-game of Uber and does that really align with the best interests of their drivers and/or riders?

What do you mean? Uber literally makes all their money by providing a service that people willingly consume. They are really providing lots of value.

> Uber is revenue unsustainable and driving for a monopoly status on delivery/taxi.

Maybe, but does it matter? An Uber monopoly is a lot easier to fight than a state monopoly. To the very least, there are several companies competing in the space already. And if Uber goes bust, the only losers are the shareholders.

> Uber literally makes all their money by providing a service that people willingly consume. They are really providing lots of value.

Uber is not making money. They are burning through investor cash in excess of $2B per year in the false hope of breaking the backs of the incumbents so Uber can achieve monopolistic rents far in excess of status quo.

Riders "willingly consume" Uber because of this investor subsidy which conceals the true cost of carriage. When the easy money dries up, it's game over for Uber unless they can go full autonomous sans driver.

Uber is running out of runway and they know it. That's why they're flaunting the DMV in the rushed hopes of getting this Hail Mary to market.

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