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> enabled nearly 200K drivers to become entrepreneurs Oh, please. Some argue that those drivers are employees, some argue that they are contractors providing a

> enabled nearly 200K drivers to become entrepreneurs Oh, please. Some argue that those drivers are employees, some argue that they are contractors providing a low-level service, but calling them "entrepreneurs" really is a bit of a stretch.

x0x0 9y ago
Uber drivers are entrepreneurs like the fry-station cook at mcdonalds is a small business owner. Except McDonalds can't make you pay for your own fry station. Or lease it from McDonalds at high rates: For examples, Experian estimates the average weekly payment for a new car lease is $96, while a 2013 vehicle through Xchange costs $130 a week. [...] After reviewing the terms of one lease, experts estimate that a driver would pay $25,210 plus $5,000 for the residual value for a 2015 Honda Civic, far more than the Kelley Blue Book fair purchase prive of $18,142. https://consumerist.com/2016/05/31/5-things-you-should-know-about-ubers-xchange-leasing-program-its-costs/ https://consumerist.com/2016/05/31/5-things-you-should-know-...
- gadders 9y ago
  I think you'll find McDonald's can make you do all of those things.
  - gadders 9y ago
    For the downvoters, some evidence: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14577840- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14577840- McDonald's forcing people to buy a special salt shaker "In early September, McDonald’s announced it would start offering all-day breakfast across the U.S. Customers will soon be able to order a limited selection of breakfast items past the usual 10:30 a.m. cutoff. That will require changes in the restaurants, such as finding room on the grills for eggs and in the fryer baskets for hash browns when most customers are ordering burgers and fries. Those changes cost money—including a potential $500 to $5,000 for equipment—that will fall mostly on franchisees." https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-mcdonalds-franchises/ https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-mcdonalds-franchises...
    - pelario 9y ago
      Why the downvotes?
      - rubidium 9y ago
        The fry cook is not the franchise owner. The Uber driver is not an entrepreneur.
        anotheryou 9y ago
        Sorry, I need to highjack a comment of yours for a PM (once you replied to this, I might delete the off-topic text): You gave me carreer advice ("Companies (generally) don't hire "generalists". They hire people to solve their particular problems. You need to show why you're the right person to solve company X's problems.") and I want to thank you for that! I had a job interview and the interviewer was really happy for me to identify a certain UX problem. The interview went well and they let me do a concept for the solution of the problem. I got the job! (not yet on paper, but hopefully soon) I will be a Product Manager with some Product Ownership and with a decent salary (I think a bit over the budget they planned initially). Thanks again!
      - tyingq 9y ago
        Because the original analogy was a fry cook, similar to an Uber driver in that neither is an entrepreneur. This is referring to a McDonalds franchise owner, who is much more likely to fit the description of entrepreneur.
      - konschubert 9y ago
        Because these costs are carried by the owner of the restaurant(s). An uber driver is more comparable to the Mc Donald's line worker.
      - gadders 9y ago
        Beats me. I wasn't debating the status of Uber drivers, just the assertion that McDonalds can't force you to buy expensive equipment.

x0x0 9y ago

Uber drivers are entrepreneurs like the fry-station cook at mcdonalds is a small business owner. Except McDonalds can't make you pay for your own fry station. Or lease it from McDonalds at high rates: For examples, Experian estimates the average weekly payment for a new car lease is $96, while a 2013 vehicle through Xchange costs $130 a week. [...] After reviewing the terms of one lease, experts estimate that a driver would pay $25,210 plus $5,000 for the residual value for a 2015 Honda Civic, far more than the Kelley Blue Book fair purchase prive of $18,142. https://consumerist.com/2016/05/31/5-things-you-should-know-about-ubers-xchange-leasing-program-its-costs/ https://consumerist.com/2016/05/31/5-things-you-should-know-...

gadders 9y ago
I think you'll find McDonald's can make you do all of those things.
- gadders 9y ago
  For the downvoters, some evidence: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14577840- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14577840- McDonald's forcing people to buy a special salt shaker "In early September, McDonald’s announced it would start offering all-day breakfast across the U.S. Customers will soon be able to order a limited selection of breakfast items past the usual 10:30 a.m. cutoff. That will require changes in the restaurants, such as finding room on the grills for eggs and in the fryer baskets for hash browns when most customers are ordering burgers and fries. Those changes cost money—including a potential $500 to $5,000 for equipment—that will fall mostly on franchisees." https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-mcdonalds-franchises/ https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-mcdonalds-franchises...
  - pelario 9y ago
    Why the downvotes?
    - rubidium 9y ago
      The fry cook is not the franchise owner. The Uber driver is not an entrepreneur.
      - anotheryou 9y ago
        Sorry, I need to highjack a comment of yours for a PM (once you replied to this, I might delete the off-topic text): You gave me carreer advice ("Companies (generally) don't hire "generalists". They hire people to solve their particular problems. You need to show why you're the right person to solve company X's problems.") and I want to thank you for that! I had a job interview and the interviewer was really happy for me to identify a certain UX problem. The interview went well and they let me do a concept for the solution of the problem. I got the job! (not yet on paper, but hopefully soon) I will be a Product Manager with some Product Ownership and with a decent salary (I think a bit over the budget they planned initially). Thanks again!
    - tyingq 9y ago
      Because the original analogy was a fry cook, similar to an Uber driver in that neither is an entrepreneur. This is referring to a McDonalds franchise owner, who is much more likely to fit the description of entrepreneur.
    - konschubert 9y ago
      Because these costs are carried by the owner of the restaurant(s). An uber driver is more comparable to the Mc Donald's line worker.
    - gadders 9y ago
      Beats me. I wasn't debating the status of Uber drivers, just the assertion that McDonalds can't force you to buy expensive equipment.