Pretty sure the earnings awarded by the game are overly optimistic, and certainly didn’t include Uber fees. Based on trying to earn a living between gigs driving for Uber in LA. Also, expenses are higher than just fuel and incidental damage.
The Uber Game: Can you make it in the gig economy?
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Re: The Uber Game: Can you make it in the gig economy?
#22How is it worse having the option of being an Uber driver versus not having that option?
Because Uber leads people into thinking they'll make good money. It's like asking whether it's worse to have the option of being scammed or not having that option.
Re: The Uber Game: Can you make it in the gig economy?
#23I scored around $1016 after costs were removed. I don't think a $1000/week mortgage is reasonable, if you're an Uber driver on those costs, you need to rethink your entire life. That being said, if mortgage was actually $1000/month and I still have 3 other weeks, being an Uber driver is suddently not so bad.
Its $1000 due in a week. $1000 a month. Also at the $3.77 and hour I profited its still not very attractive. 10 hours a day all month to earn just rent.
Re: The Uber Game: Can you make it in the gig economy?
#24I’m not quite sure Uber ever intended for their drivers to be able to own $900,000 homes (that’s about what a $4k mortgage would get you with 20% down). To me that smacks of a very rigged game with some sort of agenda behind it.
Note the $1000 is "due this week" not "Due every week". It's possible you had that set aside, and then you had an unexpected expense that ate up your cushion. Probably involving the kid you helped with his homework.
Re: The Uber Game: Can you make it in the gig economy?
#25How is it worse having the option of being an Uber driver versus not having that option?
It's not. But if Uber's marketing to drivers is fueling a perception of the viability of Uber vs. what they actually stand to make, that's a problem.
Re: The Uber Game: Can you make it in the gig economy?
#26a $1000 mortgage payment? where can i find that in the bay?
I think they mean $1000/week, which makes more sense considering the character has two children. But who would get approved for a $4.3k/month mortgage on a single earner getting paid less than minimum wage?
As I noted in another comment, it's "due this week" not "due every week". Given the portrayal is definitely someone just scraping by, it's possible their cushion for the mortgage was just eaten up by some other non-negotiable expense.
Re: The Uber Game: Can you make it in the gig economy?
#27Well, wasn't the whole idea of Uber and the "gig economy" to not have professional drivers, but just people doing it in their spare time _if they already have the means to_?
It obviously stopped being that in many markets really quickly.
But then, when it comes down to it, the "gig economy" was just SF speak for "A shitty part-time job."
Re: The Uber Game: Can you make it in the gig economy?
#28Well, wasn't the whole idea of Uber and the "gig economy" to not have professional drivers, but just people doing it in their spare time _if they already have the means to_?
It obviously stopped being that in many markets really quickly. But then, when it comes down to it, the "gig economy" was just SF speak for "A shitty part-time job."
Well, using "gig" to denote a job is ironically self-deprecating to begin with, since it is jazz musicians' slang for a relatively cool and exciting temporary engagement: a musical performance somewhere. Whereas in the ironic context, it refers to some mundane job.
Re: The Uber Game: Can you make it in the gig economy?
#29"the gig economy" What an awful name to normalise workers with no job working very hard for less than minimum wage.
Corporate masters - be more flexible for us, we'll pay you less too. FT, WSJ etc. "Gig economy, sounds like rock bands! Awesome."
I'm in no way a socialist but FFS, "gig economy?" Seriously?
Re: The Uber Game: Can you make it in the gig economy?
#30It really annoyed me that the game forced me to make errors. I don't oversleep and I have a generous dataplan that doesn't force me to buy "unlimited." I also didn't get a choice to stay in Sac. The feeling of "this is hard" was lost and was replaced by "this is not a useful demonstration."
I think maybe you've missed something. Many gig workers don't have the choices you wish the game provided you.