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ensmartha

6 karma · joined August 8, 2019

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ensmartha··on As Scotland's 'Trainspotting' Generation Ages, the Dead Pile Up
Maybe there’s just no solution to the drug problem. We’ve tried everything already at great cost. Sometimes it’s better to admit a war is not winnable and to pull out before wasting more resources.
ensmartha··on Uber Posts $5.2B Loss and Slowest Ever Growth Rate
Yup. Uber is essentially in the business of selling $10 bills for $5. Certainly there is growth, but...
ensmartha··on Uber Posts $5.2B Loss and Slowest Ever Growth Rate
Not all gig companies are the same.

Uber is not a real business. Nothing about hiring a driver or maintaining or running a car is cheaper now than before Uber. Uber will never be profitable unless people are willing to pay the same amount as for regular taxis or for a private driver (i.e. expensive).

Airbnb on the other hand is a real and vastly profitable business. Yes there need to be tighter regulations because we don’t want Airbnb everywhere. That will have a non-trivial effect on its business. But even after regulation it remains a very profitable and highly appealing consumer and business product.

The other difference is that Uber just gets you from A to B. I will never remember the car nor the driver. Even if the driving experience is great, I won’t be telling my friends about it.

Airbnb on the other hand provides memorable lifetime experiences.

No comparison.