The author of this blog post admits that he hasn't run any numbers, and his conclusions make that obvious. I've run the numbers, and I make part of my living as an Uber driver (it's not busy enough in my city to do this full-time). Uber doesn't worry about my expenses because it's not their job to worry about my expenses. Their job is to run their servers and make an app that customers want to use, and they've been doing a great job at that IMO. My job is to worry about my expenses, and yes, I've accounted for fuel, maintenance, and depreciation of my vehicle, and I am making enough profit to make it worth doing.
As for self-driving cars, Travis has publicly stated that Uber does not intend to own and maintain them, they are going to look to their former drivers to do that. I doubt Uber is planning on having a monopoly for self-driving cars, they just want to be in on a part of the action, but their main focus will probably always be the software of their core app.
Uber has created more jobs faster than any company in history, and this is something our economy sorely needs. They literally let everyone who passes a background check on their platform. That means no discrimination can even take place at the company level, which I think is something very very cool, especially since I have a serious health condition that has riddled my resume with holes. (Discrimination can still take place from riders however, as the ratings are what determine whether a driver stays as a driver or not.) Also, since I am my own boss, I can rest when I need to, which is essential for coping with my condition.