In fact, there is an opinion piece from 2017 in the Guardian titled "Obsession with ending poverty is where development is going wrong" [0] that argued for a reframing of the "end poverty" approach in developing economies like India to something like "enabling prosperity".
[0]: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals...
While Ola and Uber would not actually aim to be philanthropic companies, they definitely have enabled people to come from different walks of like and become a driver. I have met many drivers who came from villages to drive and support their family, and Ola and Uber made it very easy for them to get started.
Overall, good for a larger segment of the society i would say.
Making a virtue out of compulsion, eh?
Those people leave rural farming jobs and come to cities, because irrigation infrastructure is in shambles. Farming is not open to free market economics, there is not enough water, and overall its not profitable. They sell what they have and inhale CO day in and out to put food on the table.
Farmer to cabbie ain't exactly a good career transition.
until infrastructure is privatised(which opens up it's own can of worms) farming is a dead end in developing nations.
Until now, they have been good with providing employment/independence to many people, while improving transport options to the public.
But, once they go public and they cannot throw money at drivers/riders, I expect many drivers to be negatively affected mainly because they start with a new car, purchased/leased through a subprime loan lender, when initial earnings are high. They start feeling the pinch a few months in, when they realize their bonuses are reducing and they are working more days in a month to payoff the car, and receive less into their account.
Sad thing is that, the same billionaires from such startups, will open a foundation/charity to help the poor, and they'll be lauded as "great philanthropists"