3 ms·

> I think people would generally agree the user experience of Uber is an improvement over taxis even if the labour conditions are a regression. I am going to m

by Veelox 5y ago

> I think people would generally agree the user experience of Uber is an improvement over taxis even if the labour conditions are a regression. I am going to make my point bluntly. Do you think the people driving for Uber are dumb? Every time I see this kind of argument I feel like it removes any agency from the gig workers. The implication is "Uber's drivers don't understand they are getting screwed. We need to change the rules of the game so Uber stops screwing drivers." I have never seen a good argument for how Uber is exploitive that doesn't assume the drivers are to dumb to realize they are being exploited.

satellite2 5y ago
Not really no. Typically in the US try comparing health care services, since they all have different coverage, pricing model, duration etc... unless you are an economist with time and a robust model you can't say which is the best / cheapest. That's why the only way to give consumers a fighting chance is to actually create a market by forcing them to flatten their offerings. Similarly in my country (I cannot say for other places) Uber driver's cash on hand is relatively good. But they are independent contractors so don't get a pension and no contribution for disability/maternity insurance. So it's hard for the drivers to actually price those externalities. So no, drivers are not dumb, when markets are not clearly defined, companies are very good at making it hard to compare their offers with those of the competitors.
pydry 5y ago
You dont need to be stupid to allow yourself to be exploited. Being poor is sufficient.
skohan 5y ago
Would you say that everyone who falls victim to predatory lending is dumb? Or do people maybe get exploited when they are in bad economic situations as well? https://www.kqed.org/news/10499074/one-uber-drivers-story-how-he-was-trapped-by-auto-loan-program https://www.kqed.org/news/10499074/one-uber-drivers-story-ho...

by Veelox 5y ago

satellite2 5y ago

Not really no. Typically in the US try comparing health care services, since they all have different coverage, pricing model, duration etc... unless you are an economist with time and a robust model you can't say which is the best / cheapest. That's why the only way to give consumers a fighting chance is to actually create a market by forcing them to flatten their offerings. Similarly in my country (I cannot say for other places) Uber driver's cash on hand is relatively good. But they are independent contractors so don't get a pension and no contribution for disability/maternity insurance. So it's hard for the drivers to actually price those externalities. So no, drivers are not dumb, when markets are not clearly defined, companies are very good at making it hard to compare their offers with those of the competitors.

pydry 5y ago

You dont need to be stupid to allow yourself to be exploited. Being poor is sufficient.

skohan 5y ago

Would you say that everyone who falls victim to predatory lending is dumb? Or do people maybe get exploited when they are in bad economic situations as well? https://www.kqed.org/news/10499074/one-uber-drivers-story-how-he-was-trapped-by-auto-loan-program https://www.kqed.org/news/10499074/one-uber-drivers-story-ho...