[richk449]

Interesting suggestion. It is sometimes said that Uber was started based on Kalanick's Randian free market ideas. And at a superficial level, it sorta looks free market - the price responds to supply and demand for instance. But interestingly, that price is being set by, effectively, a central planning process, not a free market. The soviet union didn't have the computing power to pull that off, but Uber does.

Of course, there is all of the regulatory capture and monopoly tactics which are also inconsistent with free markets, although perhaps not inconsistent with Objectivism (depending on your view).

A true free market version of uber would be interesting.

[mcphage]

> It is sometimes said that Uber was started based on Kalanick's Randian free market ideas. And at a superficial level, it sorta looks free market - the price responds to supply and demand for instance.

If you need to pump billions of dollars into the market every few months, it's definitely not free.

[koolba]

If the money is coming from the private sector and not the government then it is free.

[mcphage]

It's coming from outside the market.

[Spooky23]

Free markets require agency on the part of the participants. Network effect businesses in many cases devolve to central planning, because it's more efficient.

You don't need computers to do this stuff. The problems and solutions that the Soviet Union faced in central planning are not dissimilar to what Uber faces in its corner of the universe. Fundamentally, Uber sells a product that is too expensive for the market to adopt in critical mass. So they implement price controls, first by flooding external capital, and then by squeezing the suppliers.

[berberous]

Ignoring subsidies that Uber pays drivers, if you let drivers set their own rates, I don't see how that's not worse for drivers. Whatever rates Uber sets, there is a willing driver 2 minutes away, so that price is clearly sufficient for a driver. Letting them set their own rates seems like it would just incentivize lower rates at a time when the gig is already pretty bad and hard to live on.

[WrtCdEvrydy]

I wonder if there would be a way to allow someone to cap their amount they want to pay for a ride and the same for the driver ... I wonder if being able to schedule ahead of time and having a driver accept an exact job hours ahead would be interesting.

[londons_explore]

I can imagine a simple model where a customer requests a ride. The nearest 3 drivers get asked how much they want to take the fare (perhaps a simple UI saying "What would Bob have to pay you to get a ride to Brooklyn? [$12] [$15] [$20]"). Driver who offers the lowest gets the job.

Uber sets the middle choice to be their guess of the market rate, and the above and below options allow the driver to either undercut to be sure of getting the business, or raise prices to try and get more money.

Considering how much Uber is under pressure for employee vs contractor and unionisation, I'm surprised they don't do this.