What is Uber? Forget the sharing economy – it's just a libertarian scam
On Thursday, the most controversial tech company of its generation will launch the most anticipated share sale of the year. Unlike Amazon, which hammered the retail sector to get its start, then became the king of cloud storage; or Facebook and Google, which turned our lives into their very profitable product, Uber has got where it is today not so much by creating something new, but by spending billions to smash something old.
One day soon – it hopes – those drivers will go the way of horses when the car killed the horse and buggy. Replaced by a fleet of robo-cars that – in Uber’s libertarian dreams – will make car ownership and public transport a thing of the past.
It didn’t start this way. Uber used to be called part of the “sharing economy.” The idea was people would collaborate, peer to peer, to offer services such as rides or places to stay. Drivers could do what they loved – make art, open a bakery – then make a little cash driving on the side. Sadly only the “little cash” part of that dream came true.
