Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by zztop44 973 days ago
I’m not saying that’s not true. But the push to have them also doesn’t feel wholly organic. Robotaxis feel like one of those new technologies that we’re gonna have whether we like it or not, because enough very rich people want us to have them.

And I’m not saying we can or should try to delay the inevitable either. But the people who are pushing these timelines are basically the same people who just finished up spending tens (hundreds?) of billions of dollars making the food delivery industry worse, more expensive, and probably less profitable overall.
2 comments
RHSeeger 973 days ago
> But the people who are pushing these timelines are basically the same people who just finished up spending tens (hundreds?) of billions of dollars making the food delivery industry worse, more expensive, and probably less profitable overall.

I've stopped ordering delivered food all together. I just go pick it up now. Everything about it has gotten worse

- More expensive

- Delivery people don't work for the restaurant, so many of them just don't care at all. We had one deliver someone else's food to us, and tell us it's not their problem when we informed them of such.

- Tip must be up front, so not based on performance

link
Spivak 973 days ago
> restaurant, so many of them just don't care at all

I fell like this might be a generation gap but I much prefer it this way, they're contract workers that are paid like shit and also not paid by you. They don't get paid for getting your order right, or service with a smile or whatever nonsense, they get paid to deliver a package from a -> b. You don't get mad at the taxi for taking you to the wrong place, you blame the driver, and in this case the driver is DoorDash/UberEats/Postmates.

I had an older Papa John's delivery driver once tell me "Thank you for ordering Papa John's" and meant it and after being taken aback was like dude the amount of loyalty you have for a company that wouldn't hesitate to throw you in a dumpster for a fiver is too damn high.

link
4k3aa4 973 days ago
I dunno I can think of a couple of ways to make them economically nonviable...
link