[metaphorm]

robot driven electric powered vehicles that operate 24/7 (minus maintenance and recharge time) are a major way to gain efficiencies in drivers/vehicles/fuel. the nature of an automated ride hailing service, also, gains efficiencies in densely populated areas. it doesn't quite reach economy-of-scale level stuff the way a manufacturing business does, but there are definite efficiencies that Uber (and their competitors) are aggressively pursuing.

[emodendroket]

The parent comment on which this thread is based is arguing that Uber's elimination of top-heavy management in traditional taxi companies is so great that they should be able to profit even if they never achieve self-driving cars. Clearly if they can entirely eliminate the cost of labor it complicates the question.