I think ride sharing companies like Uber are a bit different though because the dispatch system (the element of coordination and availability) is critical for t

I think ride sharing companies like Uber are a bit different though because the dispatch system (the element of coordination and availability) is critical for that type of service. This is different from cleaning because people don't need down-to-the-minute availability. Homejoy had to find a way to lock their cleaners into ongoing agreements to prevent them from bypassing them. I agree that it's natural with these services for consumers to want to 'bypass' the middleman if possible. Unfortunately, under capitalism, creating value and capturing it are two very different things. There are a lot of business ideas which have potential to create amazing value for society, but these businesses will not be able to exist because they are not capable of capturing that value.