[Someone]

“Uber Driver” isn’t a job (in the USA; some other countries disagree); you’re a contractor, and you’re free to find customers via other means (e.g. via Lyft, paying their margins, via word-of-mouth, via your own web site, etc.)

Yes, that may be hard or effectively impossible, but a bad dry wall contractor will not be able to hold his business afloat, either.

[trsse]

> you’re free to find customers via other means

Except you aren't. In many cities it is illegal to just start taking passengers for fees.

[Someone]

Either Uber runs a legal business, in which case I would expect others can start similar businesses, or they don’t, in which case this is like complaining that you can’t start a local mob legally after the one you worked for kicked you out.

Yes, that may be difficult, but Uber has shown it to be possible; ‘just’ find some investor with a few billion to spare, and you can do it, too.

Returning to the original argument: even if Uber drivers were employees, the argument “Uber can’t kick me out because I can’t get a job as an Uber driver elsewhere” doesn’t hold water, and replacing “Uber driver” by “driver” doesn’t change that.

[sokoloff]

Some argue that it's illegal in many cities to just start taking Uber passengers as well.