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Comment by emteycz | Hacker News Reader

Talk with the driver few times? I never had a Uber driver who said they would rather have a normal job. 500+ rides.

I have several friends and aquaintances who drive for uber (and lyft, etc), who are barely scraping by, and are doing it out of desperation, not because they prefer it to other available jobs that are more "normal".

They are driving for Uber because they can't find/get/keep such a job. Of course everyone driving for uber is doing so because it's the best thing they can find, they wouldn't prefer a job that pays them even less. But the people I know doing it don't love it or prefer it to a "normal" job, they just do it cause it's available and they need to pay the rent.

I have a good friend, ex-Navy submariner, and highly competent industrial technician. He's been driving for Doordash since 2019 now, because he just can't ever make it work with any kind of management in a typical corporate or small-business environment. I'm sure he'd be much more productive as a consultant, in his field of expertise if there were an app for that, but for him, the gig-econonmy, accepting all its down sides, is the preferable way to earn money. I've found it really interesting, that he would accept 2-4x pay reduction, just to be relieved of certain areas of responsibility and accountability.

another Deliverator.

Selection bias…

So non-uber drivers don't want to be uber drivers and uber drivers want to be uber drivers? Or what? There was practically nothing else in common between each driver other than their desire to continue working with Uber as they do now. Where's the bias? 500+ rides (probably significantly more bcs I have two accounts) are large enough sample.

The selection consists solely of current Uber drivers, excluding all drivers who chose to stop and take an alternative job. As well, drivers in the act of driving are less likely to admit that they do not want to be doing what they are currently doing, due to cognitive dissonance.

Additionally, there likely exists a framing bias along with a false dichotomy, if they were asked whether they’d rather Uber or take a “normal job”. There are of course plenty of alternatives that are not “normal jobs” (whatever that is exactly).

Anyways, anecdotally, I’ve had drivers who were not happy with Uber and continued only out of lack of current options or plain inertia.

Survivorship bias, which is a subtype of selection bias, is what I was contemplating along those lines.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias

Now if I could somehow know whether I have any biases I should be aware of, I’d greatly appreciate that information, Steve.

Yup, this selection bias is also survivorship bias.

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