4 ms·

> "Unlike real serfs Uber drivers can set themselves free at anytime (i.e. quit)." I'm certainly not on the Uber-hating bandwagon that's been doing laps around

by john_b 12y ago

> "Unlike real serfs Uber drivers can set themselves free at anytime (i.e. quit)." I'm certainly not on the Uber-hating bandwagon that's been doing laps around HN lately, but this isn't always true. Some people drive an Uber car because they need a paycheck and a flexible schedule, not because they want to. There may not be many (or any) other opportunities ready available. A serf could quit too, as long as he was willing to abandon everything he knew and set out on the road going far away from his old master. But he knew he'd probably end up destitute and serving a new master in a strange place, so he stayed. People are risk averse. Some people do jobs that pay bills because they need them, not because they want them. Freedom to walk away from something doesn't imply a desire for that something.

Meekro 12y ago
The question to ask is, if Uber disappeared off the face of the earth one day, would these drivers be better off, or worse off? I claim they'd be worse off -- if there was a better job available, they'd already be doing that instead of driving for Uber. In other words, Uber is a positive force in their lives, an employer who made them a better offer than any other, and they've getting shit for not making the drivers an even better offer?
- cousin_it 12y ago
  They'd be better off. The existence of Uber is what causes these other "better jobs" to disappear.
  - khuey 12y ago
    and the evidence for that is?
- oalders 12y ago
  > if there was a better job available, they'd already be doing that instead of driving for Uber. So none of these people can currently do better than driving for Uber?
  - seanflyon 12y ago
    No one is doing better than they are doing. If they can do better then they should do better weather or not Uber exists.
- disputin 12y ago
  Is that the question to ask? Isn't the question to ask where is this headed, on a grander scale?
  - saraid216 12y ago
    This. And the answer, frankly, is that they'll all be out of jobs when Uber moves over to a fully autonomous fleet.
- jacalata 12y ago
  That's what people say about sweatshops too.
civilian 12y ago
Ah, no, serfs didn't have the right to leave their manor. They could (and did), but they were breaking the law to do that. Serfdom is slavery. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom

by john_b 12y ago

Meekro 12y ago

The question to ask is, if Uber disappeared off the face of the earth one day, would these drivers be better off, or worse off? I claim they'd be worse off -- if there was a better job available, they'd already be doing that instead of driving for Uber. In other words, Uber is a positive force in their lives, an employer who made them a better offer than any other, and they've getting shit for not making the drivers an even better offer?

cousin_it 12y ago
They'd be better off. The existence of Uber is what causes these other "better jobs" to disappear.
- khuey 12y ago
  and the evidence for that is?
oalders 12y ago
> if there was a better job available, they'd already be doing that instead of driving for Uber. So none of these people can currently do better than driving for Uber?
- seanflyon 12y ago
  No one is doing better than they are doing. If they can do better then they should do better weather or not Uber exists.
disputin 12y ago
Is that the question to ask? Isn't the question to ask where is this headed, on a grander scale?
- saraid216 12y ago
  This. And the answer, frankly, is that they'll all be out of jobs when Uber moves over to a fully autonomous fleet.
jacalata 12y ago
That's what people say about sweatshops too.

civilian 12y ago

Ah, no, serfs didn't have the right to leave their manor. They could (and did), but they were breaking the law to do that. Serfdom is slavery. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom