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by rpmisms 2458 days ago
Maybe, just maybe, Uber could become employee owned.
4 comments

Not sure why this is being downvoted. It's an interesting idea to consider.

It would probably require Uber going through a bankruptcy and reforming as a company with a dramatically different structure. Uber going through a bankruptcy process is not a far fetched idea considering their financials.

Do we know of any examples where a c corp that's already achieved scale has successfully converted to a coop? It is an interesting thing to consider.
Are you implying Uber could convert to a worker cooperative? That would be a little difficult to pull off given the amount of VC money they've raised on top of already going public.
Uber's entire system is based on pushing the risk (varying levels of business, injury, etc) on to their drivers / customers... and they lose money on that.

I'm not sure being more friendly to drivers would get them anywhere.

hint: with driverless cars they don't need employees
The money will run out before that is feasible.

As much as I believe self-driving cars will be a thing, that kind of technology takes years to develop and is hard to predict when it will be ready.

Making a big bet that self-driving cars will work by a specific date is gambling.

With driverless cars (if it happens) they're suddenly in the business of massive capex.
Yeah because that technology is right around the corner...
I guess Hacker News is now just filled with people who think they are smarter than large companies.
How likely is that to happen inside a timespan long enough for Uber to survive?
Likely enough for Uber to bet on it. The whole idea behind the company was bet that once they capture the majority of market via aggressive expansion, the self driving auto will hit the market allowing them to cut out people from the business.

Seems like they underestimated and going to crash (or they pivot and change the model to actually include human drivers as part of the business).