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Comment by beachbum8029 | Hacker News Reader

Ummmmmm but Uber made the world a better place? (for me anyway)

Did it make your world a better place, or just add a bit of convenience whose cost was distributed to people you don't know?

Well, the benefits are also distributed to people I don't know, so this type of accounting is tough.

Disrupting the taxi mafia has definitely made the world a better place.

Did the "taxi mafia" encourage a class of laborers who sleep in their cars for less than a minimum wage while depriving them of any kind of protections normally associated with employment?

...yes?

Are you really unfamiliar with how medallion owners used to treat their drivers?

Perhaps I have rose colored glasses, but the "sleeping in the car" problem seems new. But I could very well be wrong.

That said, how are we really in a better place? Same problem, different master.

There is an early NYT article (early in the context of Uber's lifespan) detailing a day when a cab driver in NYC ended up paying his employer a few hundred dollars for the privilege of working that day. This was after all his fares for the shift.

> But what if drivers don’t make enough to cover their rental charges? The company has clearly considered this possibility, as it’s included in a program FAQ. “No problem,” Uber says. “When you pick up your vehicle, Enterprise will take your valid credit or debit card to place on file. In the event of a difference, Enterprise will automatically charge the outstanding balance to the card on file.” See? No problem.

https://qz.com/563622/ubers-new-car-rental-program-for-drive...

Sorry, I said Uber a bit provocative. I meant companies doing unethical things and asking you to do unethical things.

Which Uber is definitely a good example of, but I agree it was a bit provocative :).

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