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If Uber Technologies Inc. ever collapses, historians may trace its undoing not to its troubles with labor relations, intellectual property, regulatory conflicts or sexual-harassment allegations, but to technological disruption.
This would be the same technological disruption the company itself pledged to use to upend the auto industry and the $2 trillion a year tied to it.
Less than a year ago, Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick described self-driving cars as an "existential" threat to his company, saying that his team must get the technology to market before competitors do, or at least at around the same time. Self-driving vehicles would ultimately be much cheaper to operate than ones requiring human drivers—robots work tirelessly and don't demand raises. The first companies to roll out fleets of automated taxis could quickly drive their human-powered competition into oblivion.
Bye-bye Uber, hello Johnny Cab?
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Tuesday May 09 2017, @01:14AM (7 children)
I've never used Uber nor Lyft. I don't go out with the intention of getting too drunk to drive home. I have friends to take me to the airport.
That said, I think Uber will die due to bad press. The founder just flat out seems to be a textbook sociopath, and he modeled his company on his mental state.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by tftp on Tuesday May 09 2017, @01:29AM (3 children)
Nearly same here. Occasionally I need to take a cab, but then I call local taxi companies - they are often one-man outfits that rent taxicabs from someone else. Their cost is reasonable, and I need them so rarely that the expense does not matter. Uber will die entirely from its own hand; it already managed to convince the public that they are exploiting the drivers worse than sweatshops in Asia, playing tricks with insurance, collecting money for nothing, etc. I have no interest in using their services.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday May 09 2017, @01:32AM
"Lyft: Happy Drivers, Happy people"
(parody of a Chicagoland Zoo ad, right after the other Chicagoland Zoo lost a few animals)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09 2017, @12:39PM (1 child)
(Score: 1) by tftp on Tuesday May 09 2017, @08:20PM
This means that Uber drivers are making $10-12/hour (-Uber cut) over here, which seems about reasonable
In CA the minimum wage today is $10/hr. If Uber drivers also have to pay to Uber, they are being exploited.
I understand that it is tempting to buy from the lowest bidder, but by doing that the customers destroy the viable business that pays honest wages to drivers. It is just sad that taxi business has little quality differentiation - in the end you are getting from A to B. It's not like a cheap restaurant vs. an expensive one, where the difference is visible.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday May 09 2017, @02:17AM
In the country where I live, Uber is failing.
We deregulated the Taxi industry here in the 1980's, so we have wound up with plenty of taxis for everyone, in fact at times there have been too many, and some companies went out of business.
I used Uber once about a year ago, and the driver was just finishing his last shift, as he couldn't make any money driving for Uber. He was going back to driving one of his Uncle's cabs, because he made more money and worked fewer hours.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09 2017, @04:54AM
That said, I think Uber will die due to bad press. The founder just flat out seems to be a textbook sociopath, and he modeled his company on his mental state.
I appreciate your optimism, but by that logic, no one would use Facebook [gawker.com] either. Realistically, most people don't know what these companies are really like and Uber has brand awareness that will take an awful lot to tear down.
(Score: 2) by Wootery on Tuesday May 09 2017, @10:47AM
I think Uber will die due to bad press. The founder just flat out seems to be a textbook sociopath, and he modeled his company on his mental state.
I'm not so optimistic. Facebook seem to be doing rather well...