When was the last time you had an Uber driver that actually lived in San Francisco? Most of the drivers I talk to were driving in, from as far away as San Diego.
Yeah, it was extraordinarily far, which is why I remember the conversation. But he drove up to SF and slept in his car for the weekend because the trips were a lot more valuable here.
This seems strongly to me like a broken window argument. Taken another way, you're paying people that could likely be doing more productive things to sit in a car and burn gasoline.
If money draining out of the economy is a major concern, there could just be a tax on AI rideshares (which given the political environment seems quite likely)
This job competes directly with San Franciscans who pay taxes and commuting drivers who spend money on food and gas.
When we wipe them out and replace it with a tax-dodging multinational corporation what happens to our local economy?