If this is true if uber, that it has no path to profitability, isn't it also true of ubers competitors? Their price points are fairly similar and they all, at some point, offer incentives to ensure you keep using their service.
it would be interesting to see where ridesharing investment money and the revenues the companies made could have ad a differing/better/other impact, just as a matter of looking at all possible outcomes as opposed to simply taken the state of things as a given.
A lot of Uber's costs to date have been proving that ride-sharing is a thing that consumers want to do (market education) and that governments don't want to stop (lobbying). Their competition get the benefit of that Uber's investment in those things for free, so it might be the case that Uber will fail and their competition won't.
That's by no means saying it's definitely the case, but being the first mover has downsides as well as advantages.
Of course, none of the big “ride sharing companies” have anything to do with actual ride sharing.
Many people disagree.