I don't think the article is trying to imply that we should be making stuff just for the sake of making stuff, or creating jobs just for the sake of creating jo

I don't think the article is trying to imply that we should be making stuff just for the sake of making stuff, or creating jobs just for the sake of creating jobs. It's just giving an explanation for why many new industries don't show up in productivity measurements. If car sharing did take off in a big way, then it will redistribute value. Presumably fewer cars will be sold, so car manufacturers will be worse off. The people sharing cars might be better off (they would earn money through sharing, but note that they are sacrificing several things for the added income), and the companies running the sharing business definitely become wealthier.