No, in its current state, they can't be profitable. Other transportation options will become more desirable if Uber had to truly charge what it costs to transpo

No, in its current state, they can't be profitable. Other transportation options will become more desirable if Uber had to truly charge what it costs to transport a customer so for now and the near future they have to subsidize the rides which kills the possibility of profit. Autonomous cars will help but that won't happen for years, 5-10 maybe more. Additionally, if autonomy becomes a reality for Uber it will happen for other modes of transportation too so they will have to compete there too. That will be even harder since it's easier to get a bunch of cars working once the tech is available. Also Uber will not survive as it stands now. Regulations and public pressure will eventually force it to conform to something similar to a very large cab company. Every industry eventually gets hit by consolidation. A business of individual drivers can be even more profitable if it joins drivers into groups. They become more reliable, they cost less to maintain and they gain power that they can leverage against large industry actors. Maybe then, it will become profitable. But that won't happen until the industry matures.