Comment on 1994 white Kevin

jaybone@lemmy.zip ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

• funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  unlike other comments, I’d argue, like most tech, it was incredibly profitable for anyone except the people funding it.

  Business is not about extracting money from goods and services, it’s about tricking VC funders to give you 50 million dollars a year

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• theotherbelow@lemmynsfw.com ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Hilariously unprofitable. They even came up with creative accounting to show how, despite never being profitable they may turn a profit if you don’t count their debts and losses.

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  • barneypiccolo@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Uber’s true business model isn’t in place yet. Eventually, all cars will be self-driving, and they can ditch the drivers. The ultimate objective is to replace personal car ownership with a driving service.

    Once they don’t have to pay drivers, and they have monthly fees coming in from millions of subscribers, they’ll clean up.

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    • theotherbelow@lemmynsfw.com ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Thanks for the input.

      In my opinion, this is definitely copium on uber’s part. Taking on far more debt to try to be a public utility level of too big to fail is laughable. There is always an end stage they need to sell that is bigger and better.

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    • Tabula_stercore@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I think you’re wrong on this one.

      Currently uber does not own anything. Repair costs are for the drivers. Buying a car is for the drivers.

      If they are not profitable now, replacing driver’s “wage” will only make it more expensive.

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      • barneypiccolo@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I’m not wrong, it’s on their website:

        Driving autonomous forward

        At Uber, it’s our mission to reimagine the way the world moves for the better—and it’s clear that autonomous vehicles (AVs) will play a part in our future. With that in mind, we have been building Uber for the road ahead.

        Then they go onto describe how they are going to use driverless vehicles for personal mobility, delivery, and freight.

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      • Hudell@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I wouldn’t put it past them to still use other people’s self driving cars.

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    • nef@slrpnk.net ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      So their entire company is built on the gamble that self-driving cars will happen before their finances implode?

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      • adb@lemmy.wtf ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I’d argue that this is what they pitch to their investors to continue to fund them. They probably partly believe it but I don’t think they really look that much further than the next quarter.

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      • barneypiccolo@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Yep.

        Driving autonomous forward

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• ryedaft@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Never had been Earth astronauts gun meme

  No, but fr Uber is a masterclass in creative accounting and strategic acquisitions for further creative accounting.

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• Blackmist@feddit.uk ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Their whole business model is “wait for self driving and then $$$” as they’ll no longer have to pay anybody.

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• ickplant@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  “In 2023, Uber reported its first annual profit since going public in 2019, with a net income of $1.9 billion. This follows a period of consistent losses for the company.”

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