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A lot of people rely on Uber and Lyft for supplemental or primary income, so this could be very disruptive if it continues to scale. Are we not worried about th

A lot of people rely on Uber and Lyft for supplemental or primary income, so this could be very disruptive if it continues to scale. Are we not worried about this in the medium-term? Also I appreciate many of the random human interactions I've had with Uber/Lyft drivers. Of course not every ride was great, but many drivers had stories and experiences that no one I usually meet would have. For me, the safe but bland experience of a self-drivng car isn't worth losing the human touch, not to mention taking away income for human drivers.

rrr_oh_man 1y ago
Convenience beats everything (in capitalism)
alain94040 1y ago
To each their own. If you value human interaction, continue to book rides with humans.
modeless 1y ago
I read a lot that uber drivers don't actually make money on net after accounting for all the costs of running their cars. It's a common narrative that uber is just exploiting their drivers, and if you believe that, then this would be a good thing.
maxwellg 1y ago
I've also had drivers do 50+ in residential areas, run red lights, play on their phones, cut off pedestrians in crosswalks, and once even park in a handicap spot at a gas station to buy cigs with me left in the back seat. If I was guaranteed a driver that could obey the traffic laws, I'd be happy to continue taking Ubers. That hasn't been the case.
MatekCopatek 1y ago
Yes, sure, but that worry can be extended to all jobs lost to AI and after that all jobs lost to any kind of technical advancements. So far the answer of the current economic system has been to invent new products/services and redirect the workforce there. It's been working so far, but isn't without issues - ever-increasing consumption is bad for the environment; the jobs are getting more and more pointless; people wonder why automation doesn't result in shorter working hours for everyone.
- qnleigh 1y ago
  Seems like you partly answered your own question? But just in case, to your last point: https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/ https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/
Rebelgecko 1y ago
It's come full circle from the people who were fighting Uber/Lyft to protect taxi drives' livelihoods
- qnleigh 1y ago
  Full circle? It's been a steady decline from the driver's perspective.
ActorNightly 1y ago
Waymo still has remote operators. I think with scaling for all transport, there will be a good demand for people working from home helping monitor the fleets and resolve situations. There is also a need for maintenance, cleaning, and so on. Lots of human labor is still needed to maintain a car.
rgarrett88 1y ago
I prefer my clothes hand woven but it's so hard to find artisanal weavers these days. And the rate they want! Outrageous when other clothes cost next to nothing.
- qnleigh 1y ago
  Even if it's a foregone conclusion that self-driving cars will take over, continuing to support human drivers in the meantime smoothens the transition for them.

rrr_oh_man 1y ago

Convenience beats everything (in capitalism)

alain94040 1y ago

To each their own. If you value human interaction, continue to book rides with humans.

modeless 1y ago

I read a lot that uber drivers don't actually make money on net after accounting for all the costs of running their cars. It's a common narrative that uber is just exploiting their drivers, and if you believe that, then this would be a good thing.

maxwellg 1y ago

I've also had drivers do 50+ in residential areas, run red lights, play on their phones, cut off pedestrians in crosswalks, and once even park in a handicap spot at a gas station to buy cigs with me left in the back seat. If I was guaranteed a driver that could obey the traffic laws, I'd be happy to continue taking Ubers. That hasn't been the case.

MatekCopatek 1y ago

Yes, sure, but that worry can be extended to all jobs lost to AI and after that all jobs lost to any kind of technical advancements. So far the answer of the current economic system has been to invent new products/services and redirect the workforce there. It's been working so far, but isn't without issues - ever-increasing consumption is bad for the environment; the jobs are getting more and more pointless; people wonder why automation doesn't result in shorter working hours for everyone.

qnleigh 1y ago
Seems like you partly answered your own question? But just in case, to your last point: https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/ https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/

Rebelgecko 1y ago

It's come full circle from the people who were fighting Uber/Lyft to protect taxi drives' livelihoods

qnleigh 1y ago
Full circle? It's been a steady decline from the driver's perspective.

ActorNightly 1y ago

Waymo still has remote operators. I think with scaling for all transport, there will be a good demand for people working from home helping monitor the fleets and resolve situations. There is also a need for maintenance, cleaning, and so on. Lots of human labor is still needed to maintain a car.

rgarrett88 1y ago

I prefer my clothes hand woven but it's so hard to find artisanal weavers these days. And the rate they want! Outrageous when other clothes cost next to nothing.

qnleigh 1y ago
Even if it's a foregone conclusion that self-driving cars will take over, continuing to support human drivers in the meantime smoothens the transition for them.