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0 pointscocobongo7y ago0 comments

Personally I think Uber drivers/couriers are freelancers. Uber drivers can work whatever hours they like. If they want to work 1 hour a day, they can. If they want to work 10 hours a day, they can. That's not something that non-freelancers can do.

For the same reason, I don't think it's fair to compare the average Uber driver salary to a full-time salary. Some Uber drivers work full-time, but I'd guess most don't. Lots probably only work a few hours a week. Uber provides students/parents/anyone with a way to make extra money on the side.

Also, from the article I linked to, 900k US drivers make $13 Billion a year. So $14k-$15k/job/year. When you factor in that many (probably most) Uber drivers are only working part-time, that's significant income from a super flexible job.

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marmaduke7y ago

> I think Uber drivers/couriers are freelancers

yep so they should be compensated more, not less, in sight of the precarity of their job

> When you factor in that many (probably most) Uber drivers are only working part-time, that's significant income from a super flexible job

super flexible for whom? the drivers? or for Uber?

There are two sides to the gig style work, one side is a corp that's got teams of PhDs and a cloud calculating its optimal risk-reward strategy, and the other side some poor people trying to make money. How this can possibly turn out well for the latter is a pipe dream.

cocobongoOP7y ago

Freelancers are compensated whatever the market values them at. If they can get better pay/work elsewhere, then they do.

Driving for Uber is as flexible job as it gets. I don't see how it's flexible for Uber - Uber can only offer a ride if a driver decides out of their own free will to accept a ride.

For many people (2+ Million), driving for Uber is worth the money. They decided that it's a better gig than their other options. If they decide that it's not worth it, then they stop. And because it's such a flexible job, they don't even need to give two weeks notice.

Even though you think that driving for Uber isn't worth the money, millions of people around the world do.

marmaduke7y ago

Begging for money in the street is even more flexible — no car required — but I doubt you’d say those doing so are satisfied.

> free will to accept a ride

Whenever money is involved, free will goes out the window. It’s naive to think of all these people as rational actors.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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marmaduke7y ago

> I think Uber drivers/couriers are freelancers

yep so they should be compensated more, not less, in sight of the precarity of their job

> When you factor in that many (probably most) Uber drivers are only working part-time, that's significant income from a super flexible job

super flexible for whom? the drivers? or for Uber?

cocobongoOP7y ago

Freelancers are compensated whatever the market values them at. If they can get better pay/work elsewhere, then they do.

Driving for Uber is as flexible job as it gets. I don't see how it's flexible for Uber - Uber can only offer a ride if a driver decides out of their own free will to accept a ride.

Even though you think that driving for Uber isn't worth the money, millions of people around the world do.

marmaduke7y ago

Begging for money in the street is even more flexible — no car required — but I doubt you’d say those doing so are satisfied.

> free will to accept a ride

Whenever money is involved, free will goes out the window. It’s naive to think of all these people as rational actors.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse