The article's essential claim is that the workers do not own the means of production in any meaningful sense, despite the careful legal fictions to the contrary

The article's essential claim is that the workers do not own the means of production in any meaningful sense, despite the careful legal fictions to the contrary. The claim is that Uber et al have developed a way to own the upsides (aka positive cash flows) associated with the means of production, while externalizing the downsides (repair bills, depreciation, insurance, bodily harm from accidents, etc) onto the workers. And even in a strictly limited literal sense, the cars are bought on credit, so the bank owns them.