It's kind of funny to consider how long this debate has been going on and the self-driving cars excuse as merely the latest iteration of it: http://www.bradford

It's kind of funny to consider how long this debate has been going on and the self-driving cars excuse as merely the latest iteration of it: http://www.bradford-delong.com/2016/12/must-read-there-is-a-serious-debate-about-uber-floor-wax-or-desert-topping-excuse-me-uber-grift-or-technological.html http://www.bradford-delong.com/2016/12/must-read-there-is-a-... To quote Tom Slee from the comment above: - Uber has a nice business as a status product (Uber Black Car ~ 2010) - Uber Black may not be profitable, but Uber will displace taxis and be hugely profitable because of technology-driven efficiencies (UberX: 2014-2015) - UberX may not be profitable, but UberPool will lead to new efficiencies in mass transit (2015-2016) - UberX may not be profitable, but Uber is a logistics company and will rewrite the rules of delivery (UberEats, various speculative stories, 2013-2015) - UberPool may not be profitable, but when Uber displaces car ownership the scale of the market will make it profitable (2016) - Uber with drivers may not be profitable, but driverless cars will make Uber profitable (2014-) - Driverless cars may not be profitable, but Uber is looking into flying vehicles (2016)